The Enlightenment
by heartdamoose
Summary: Sequel to The Guardian. The adventures of two lovers as they travel across the Divine Realm, struggling with kidnapping pirates, suave tree people, carnivorous immortals, and hallucinatory cacti. Part-romp, part-romance. All-awesome.
1. Birthday

I see you've found the sequel, a feat that deserves congratulations for two reasons: 1) you actually FOUND the sequel, you smart cookie, and 2) you actually read The Guardian. How bold.

Now if one of those two reasons does not apply to you, either you've not realized this is indeed the second book of two (and therefore need to go back as to not explode with confusion), or you are a seriously confused individual who should not be dabbling with unstable and imaginary extracurriculars of fanfiction reading.

Now that the greeting is well and done, it's time to commence in the actual story. I hope you enjoy it. To say it holds the same emotional caliber as The Guardian would be a lie. No. This one is much more hilarious.

**Song for this Chapter:** Wonderwall → Oasis. I truly wonder what the heck this song has to do with this chapter. To be honest, it has no real relation save for the fact that for whatever reason, it helped me write it.

Disclaimer for all chapters: Most of the aspects of this story are original. However, every now and again you may recognize a familiar face or recognizable place. That would be TP's work.

**I would also like to thank my wonderful Beta reader, Dares To Dream, for her Beta-ness. **

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Chapter 1: Birthday

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Once a year every year, a very special celebration comes around: the birthday. The holiday is a celebratory one, calling upon holiday enthusiasts of any nationality to respectfully acknowledge the idea of growth. Then again, the true meaning of birthday is often forgotten among its bounty—money, parties, and gifts.

The only gift Romeli received on her special day was the gift of last goodbyes. She took the opportunity wholeheartedly, bidding farewell to Corus' palace inhabitants; both inanimate and animate alike. Tapestries, squires, parents, extended family, royalty, moderately decorated vases, friends, and other various occupants she had come to know and love—none of them were abandoned without adieu.

These so longs did not last long, and yet each was as painstakingly difficult as the next. Tears, awkward incoherencies, and life advice overcame her from every friend and family member she knew. Her somewhat less emotional goodbye to the tapestries was a blessing—they did not say anything at all.

Of course Romeli realized months before her birthday departure that telling everyone of her next escapade would be just as dumb as it would be pointless. Only close friends and family were informed of her Divine Realm Excursion. All others were left to believe that she was departing for the lower provinces of Carthak as a giraffe diplomat and activist. There were no leads to alert Corus of her lies.

James was left with the same situation, since he too would be parting along with her. Their duple Divine Realm departure was thankfully just that—duple. Alone, Romeli knew the alternate world would be just as scary as it would be alternate. The alternative was having James along with her—a decision he had determined only seconds after being invited. He was bound to the Divine Realm's destiny just as much as Romeli and James were coincidentally bound together.

Romeli sat at the foot of a kind tree, staring at the open space of the clearing before her. There was a slight breeze, making her swipe away her green hair in agitation every few seconds. Her hair had nothing of it, and teased her more with every sudden flurry. To her left sat a small pile of packs.

To her right sat the impatient enticement of adventure.

"They're late," she muttered to the swaying blades of grass at her feet. The grass agreed with her, but secretly did not care who was late, or why.

Conveniently on cue, James gracefully stumbled out of the foliage across from her, packs situated on his back steadily. He sported a fine traveling ensemble, complete with a heavy emerald tunic and black breeches. Around his waist sat a trusty belt, ornamented with a sword and various other weapons fit to be brought to an alternate dimension.

Romeli got to her feet, ignoring assorted complaints as she trampled the grass under her feet. She met James midway, the two standing in the center of the clearing. He set down his pack on the ground and looked at her expectantly.

Romeli's eyes narrowed as she looked him over. "We're matching," she pointed out, eyeing her own green tunic and tight black breeches. The only difference between their ensembles was Romeli's own belt, which held only two daggers. Romeli's belt would have loved a sword, but its owner could not wield it any better than the Carthakan giraffes the palace thought she would be fostering. Coming to this conclusion, the belt said nothing.

"I doubt the Divine Realm's inhabitants will be criticizing our cleverly synchronized sense of fashion," reasoned James, giving her a warm embrace. His green eyes were dancing with his latest witticism.

"I rather like it actually," she confessed as they made their way towards Romeli's designated sitting-tree. "It makes us look like Nonconformist Divine Realm Identity Assassins."

James stopped short, setting his pack down next to Romeli's. "I didn't know we'd be executing the Gods en route to fulfilling our destinies."

"You're right, that's not the word I was looking for at all. We're more like...Identity Scouts."

"Or Name Conquerors."

"But it's more wandering than conquering..."

"Identity Voyagers?"

"No, no...it's on the tip of my tongue." Romeli mused, tapping her forefinger to her chin. Her face lit up. "_Pioneers!_"

"Nonconformist Divine Realm Identity Pioneers." James let the title sink in before speaking again. "I like it. It makes me feel like a traveler in the unknown."

"Coincidentally that's exactly what we'll be doing," Romeli pointed out laughing. "Once my Guardians get here, that is. They're later than you are."

James ducked his head in apology. "My goodbye to Alanna was...extended."

"How did she take your knighthood abandonment, anyway?"

He winced slightly. "Well..."

OOO

_James knocked on Alanna's bedroom door timidly, swallowing down a wave of fear that rivaled his courage for rapping on the door in the first place. Mere seconds after, Alanna was staring up at him and ushering him inside, awarding_ _no opportunity to fall back and reconsider his next actions. _

"_Make it quick, Queenscove," grumbled Alanna as she plopped herself down in one of her multiple chairs. "My niece informed me just_ yesterday _that she's off to checkmate the Divine Realms. And I don't use my chess piece vocabulary lightly. The whole situation has put me in a foul mood."_

_Thankfully the foul mood was the most common of moods known to Alanna's character, and James had witnessed it many times before. Her snappy remarks and intellectual board game jargon were nothing new to him. _

"_That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he started, sitting down as well. "Romeli leaving will certainly...change a lot of things." _

_Alanna nodded, glancing at him with an impressive display of sympathy. "You will miss her__,__ a lot, won__'__t you," she started with a nod. "I know what it's like to be separated from the ones you love for extended amounts of time. You don't know what they're doing, if they've changed, or even if they're _alive. _Just promise me that you won__'__t sink to the state you were in after Romeli's escape from Scanra. _No one _wants to see you like that again. Romeli will be fine—she's strong enough to take care of herself now__,__ no matter how far away she is." _

_James blinked a couple of times worried that this conversation had taken a turn he had not anticipated. He held up his finger in pause. "Um."_

"_But in order to keep your thoughts away from her travels, I've set up an intense agenda that will assertively distract you," she interrupted, her eyes shining with newfound enthusiasm. "We'll be training from sun up to sun down. Starting next week we'll be on the road to the Southern Desert, where you'll learn the healing and fighting ways of the Bazhir. After that, we'll sneak into Galla where I'll teach you the basics of spying and disguise. I was also thinking of taking a trip to Carthak. I know how much you like learning, so maybe you can attend the University for a while. I hear the book collection they have is—."_

_Unable to take much more, James was forced to interrupt her. "Alanna," he started, shaking his head. "I'm not going."_

_Alanna's left eyebrow twitched. "What__?__"_

"_I'm...leaving with Romeli." _

_The moment of silence that followed could make any being of less caliber than James ungraciously pee their pants. _

_Alanna exploded. _

"_DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?!" she yelled, making James sink into his chair with wide eyes. _

"_Y-yes?"_

"_SIX _YEARS, _JAMES!!! YOU'VE WASTED AWAY SIX YEARS OF TRAINING!! ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME THAT I'VE BEEN DANCING AROUND TORTALL EDUCATING AN UNENTHUSED, UNAPPRECIATIVE, I'D-RATHER-FROLLICK-AROUND-IN-DIVINE-REALM-FOLIAGE, ADOLESCENT?!"_

"_Alanna, I have never been any of those things," pointed out James, starting at her frankly. _

_She didn't seem to hear him. "MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'VE WASTED MY TIME!! I'VE THROWN AWAY TWO YEARS TRAINING A SQUIRE MORE INTERESTED IN...ROMPING...THAN BECOMING A KNIGHT! I'M NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER, JAMES!! DO YOU _SEE _THIS GREY HAIR?!" _

_Alanna threw herself to her feet and began to pace the room, furious. James stood up as well and intercepted her pathway. _

"_Let's look at this reasonably, shall we?" he recommended, holding his hands out in front of him. _

"_Reason?!" she started. "Don't even _talk _to me about reason! You're running off with a...a...green haired bimbo!"_

"_That green haired _bimbo _just happens to be your niece," he pointed out flatly, holding strong to her sharp tongue. _

"_A niece I know and love," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean you can go off and run away with her! You can't just abandon your shield!"_

"_I have to."_

_She threw up her arms in disbelief. "You don't _have _to do anything! What you _should _do is stay with me! I can make you the best swordsman in the country! The best _healer _in the country!"_

_He shook his head, as if he were shaking away the temptation. "I need to go with Romeli. It's my destiny. The Gods—."_

"_THE _GODS?! S_O NOW THIS IS ABOUT THE GODS?! GODS THIS, GODS THAT. GODS EVERYWHERE WE GO._ GODS_, JAMES! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!" Deciding it would be appropriate__,__ Alanna flung a nearby vase at the wall, watching it shatter before turning back to James with a fuming glare. _

_James' brows rose, impressed. "Love," he answered casually, meeting her hardened eyes with softer ones. _

_Alanna looked sure to explode a second time, but her threatening expression fell and she sighed. "Sometimes I hate that word," she grumbled before collapsing into the chair again. _

"_Love makes you stupid," he admitted, settling down across from her again. _

"_Yeah," she snapped, glaring. "Brainless, idiotic, foolish, senseless, naïve, moronic, unintelligent, inept—."_

"_I get it," growled James, having enough of her versatile vocabulary. _

"_Well what am I going to do without a squire?" she complained, her amethyst eyes boring into his. _

"_Whatever you did before you had my father," reasoned James with a shrug. "Besides, you can always ask my sister. No one has asked to be her Knight Master yet."_

_Alanna ripped out a stray thread from the chair's upholstery, pretending to be displeased with the last resort. Her chin was stubbornly set, though both of them knew that Alanna would have a meeting with Ryoku the second James walked out the door. _

"_Fine," she sighed. "I suppose I'll ask the youngest Queenscove. Hopefully she's more dependable and...talented...than you ever were."_

"_I'm sure she won__'__t disappoint."_

"_I hate you." _

"_I'll miss you too, Lioness."_

"_Leave my room this instant."_

_James stood up uneasily. "Can't I say goodbye to my favori—."_

"_GET OUT!" Alanna was glowering, holding another victimized vase in her hand. _

_He slipped out the door wide-eyed, narrowly missing the porcelain ornament as it flew past his ear and into his closing retreat. _

OOO

"...it went better than anticipated," he told her, thoughts still consumed by the dispute with his former Knight Master.

Romeli blinked. "I guess that's good then, as long as it went better than your talk with Numair."

The two of them fell victim to bouts of laughter at the memory.

OOO

_James knocked on Numair's office door timidly,_ _swallowing down a wave of fear that rivaled his courage for rapping on the door in the first place._ _Mere seconds after, Numair was staring down at him and ushering him inside, awarding no opportunity to fall back and reconsider his next actions. _

_He stole a glance back at Romeli who stood on the other side of the door uneasily. _

"_What can I help you with, James?" asked Numair as he settled down at his desk. James glanced around the room, eyeing the impressive collection of books before sitting down himself. _

"_I...wanted to talk to you about something," he started hesitantly. Suddenly Numair's coal black eyes looked much more intimidating than usual. There were odd mechanisms on his desk that practically screamed Court-My-Daughter-And-I'll-Kill-You. _

"_Your vague introduction has me curious," replied Numair, somewhat amused. "What is this thing you wish to discuss?"_

_James bit the inside of his cheek. "It's not much of a thing, but more of a human. And to clear away any vague sense you may be feeling...by human, I mean your daughter." _

_Numair's brows rose as he leaned towards the young man in front of him. "And what do you want to talk about that concerns my daughter?"_

_The room seemed to rise in temperature, and James found himself beginning to perspire. The charcoal eyes boring into him would be much less intimidating if they weren't the eyes of a black robed mage. "Well...Romeli and I have been through a lot, as you can imagine. I mean, we've been friends since she arrived in Corus. I was there for her all the way up until Scanra, and even helped her escape. I know we've been through a couple rough patches, but in the end she saved my life—and I saved hers."_

_Numair's stare didn't budge. "Your point?"_

_A little confidence came from James' words, and he took out a small box to display to the man across him. Inside sat a small silver ring ornamented with glassy emerald stone. "I wish to formally court your daughter."_

_Numair ran his thumb and forefinger along his chin, looking the part of a philosopher in thought. "What does the word 'courtship' mean to you?"_

_James froze. "Is...this a trick question?"_

_Numair's identity of philosopher was thrown away as quickly as it was lead on. "It means sex doesn't it," the mage replied blatantly, looking down on his prey with burning eyes. "Because every sixteen year old boy wants sex. You breathe sex, eat sex, sleep sex, think sex! It runs your life! It runs your brain!"_

_James held up an apologetic finger. "Um. I'm seventeen."_

"_WHICH IS TWICE AS WORSE!" Numair roared, slamming his fists on the table. James cowered into his chair. "The only reason you want to court my daughter is because you want to put your penis into her vagina."_

_James blushed at Numair's forward terminology. "I assure you that I would never—."_

"_Yeah right." Numair chuckled blackly as he got to his feet. James rose out of his chair as well, hoping that perhaps Numair would look less intimidating if he didn't seem so tall. He inched around his chair as the mage walked past the desk. "You're a teenage boy. I know your type. I've _been _your type. You're the nice, sensitive, sweet guy. You reel in the woman with a pretty hook, but once you__'__r__e__ satisfied with the catch, you throw it right back—dead."_

_By now Numair had James completely cornered between a malicious bookshelf and an ancient globe. There was no squirming through an escape. _

"_I—I hope you're not implying that I'm some sort of unorthodox fish murderer..."_

"_I will say this once," Numair warned. "Go hook a different fish."_

_James swallowed hardly, meeting Numair's eyes with his own. "Romeli is the only fish I want."_

_Before James could comprehend what just happened, he was on the ground. He brought a hand up to his cheek bone to see it had split. There was blood on his fingers. Numair hovered over him with a clenched fist. _

"_You _punched _me!" he gasped, dabbing at his bruising eye as he rose to his feet. _

"_You're so stubborn," continued Numair shaking his head. "I know your secrets, James. You're the palace heartthrob. You use the privy with the door open and go river gambling with pirates on the weekends. You skin rabbit fur and make holsters out of them! I can not allow such a man to court my daughter."_

_James brows furrowed. "I literally have never done any of those things." _

"_And how am I supposed to know that?" he demanded. _

"_I don't know, you're the black robed mage!"_

_Numair's jaw clenched, caught. "So it seems."_

_James threw his arms in the air. "Why does it even matter?!" he insisted. "I've been in a relationship with your daughter for nearly five months! What's the difference between that and courting?!"_

"_The _difference _is _sex, _Master Queenscove!" _

"_I will not have sex with your daughter!" James told him, hands in the air as if surrendering._

"_How am I supposed to believe you when you two are both leaving for the Divine Realms? There's no parent supervision there!" _

"_We are perfectly capable of supervising ourselves," James pressed, matching Numair's cold gaze. "It's the difference between belief and trust."_

_Numair's shoulders fell and he nodded slowly. "Then you may court my daughter."_

_James froze. "Just like that? No fight? No argument?"_

_The black robed mage laughed, staring at the young man in front of him with disbelief. "What was all this quarrel before, then? A performance? Look, I knew you'd be asking me this question eventually, especially with your departure just around the corner. I was always going to say yes. I just had to test you first." _

_He nodded, dumbfounded. "You're a very intimidating person."_

"_You can thank Carthak's university for the acting lessons," Numair explained as he led James towards the office door. "Come back in a couple days and we'll have a good laugh about this."_

_James gave the mage a small bow, ignoring his throbbing eye as he did so. The only body part pounding harder than his latest injury was his heart, which began to slow with relief when Numair let him free through an open door. _

"_Oh," Numair started again. "And no sex." _

_The door was slammed right in James' face. _

OOO

Romeli toyed with the ring embracing her finger as James, in turn, embraced her in his arms. "I still can't believe he punched you in the eye," she told him as they leaned against the trunk of the tree.

"For a while there I really thought he was going to kill me."

"I almost interfered, but decided against it...twice," she told him truthfully.

"Well it's nothing to worry about now," he murmured, stroking away a bit of hair that the breeze had teased into her face. He closed the distance between them, pressing his lips gently against her own.

_Hate to break up the burning passion, but it's time to leave, _cut in the sly greeting of Old White. Romeli's other two Guardians Sclythe and Naraya trailed behind him with the air of business.

Said burning passion dissipated as quickly as it had come, and Romeli and James hopped to their feet expectantly. The feeling of anticipation morphed to that of nervousness as the two Nonconformist Divine Realm Identity Pioneers stood before them.

_You are both prepared then? _asked Sclythe, looking at them more with his tongue than his eyes, seeing as that's usually what snakes of any variety did.

"As ready as we can be," Romeli replied with a shaky sigh. She glanced at James for only a second before looking her Guardians in the eye again.

_Good. Grab your packs and we'll be on our way. _

And so Romeli and James grabbed their packs, containing not only food and shelter, but a strong sense of adventure, recklessness, and motive. All of which, including the food, they needed to survive.

There was a silver flash, and suddenly the party was gone, leaving only a cleared clearing, a cloud of smoke, and a complaining patch of grass in its wake.

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So, you like? You may have noticed, if your reading eyes are keen enough, that this writing style is a little bit different than The Guardian's. I'm hoping you like this one better, seeing as I'm attempting to master the genius writing flavor of Pushing Daisies (a show unfortunately discontinued but will be continued in spirit through this story).

I loved writing the fights, and whenever I got stuck, all I had to think of was a man asking his girlfriend's father permission to marry gone bad. To say the least, Numair got a little out of control. With Alanna, well...it was all to be expected.

Replies to chapter 62 of The Guardian:

Selene224: All right. I will address your numerical points one at a time. 1) haha. I completely forgot that there were only seven black robed mages. But we all know how sneaky Maggur is. If he can hide a historical scandal, convince his own counry that he's dead, AND kidnap Romeli, than I'm sure he can keep a few secret black robed mages. Also, TP can't count. Haha. 2) Well...it says in the slavery code that a Scanran Slave can't be physically involved with someone without the King's permission. I guess that sort of makes the rule obsolete when it comes to the king. 3) ya Romeli did sleep for a long time. But I don't think any of us have necessarily gone through what she did. I slept for a whole day once. It was awesome...

I'm glad you liked the story, and yay. Some people do have a problem with Romeli now and again. She's kind of dumb. If I have time to confess, I actually have to say that I don't really have a characterization for Romeli. She's sort of just my train of thought. I always ask myself how I would react in that situation and have her do what I would do. I guess that also explains the somewhat sporadic suger high Romeli's you see throughout the story. :) Happy reading! And I'm looking forward to our own collaboration.

OddAly: Oh no worries!! haha. Business is a requirement in life, and we should embrace it. Yay camp. I love camp. Didn't go to any this summer, but I needed a couple months to relax. Yeah I'd been planning on a panther third Guardian for a long time. I'm glad you liked it! Haha. Yeah. GET BACK ON ALUMINUM! Heehee.

Itachihater: It is over...but alas!!! it has begun again!! You know, I think you were the keep on Moosin' inventor. Applause to you! Omg yay another Moose brethren. I do love moose, though I must confess that I am also partial to the giraffe. It's a problem, really.

Alliekat1996: YAY SEQUEL!!! (celebration) Well I actually took out the antlers all together. In in the chapters that they used to be mentioned. :) hmm. Definitely, thanks for the tips on converting. I think I know what I'm going to do. To make it really different, I'm going to make the perspective from Romeli's view—first perspective. It'll change a lot of things around I think. All I really need to think about is the names. Well thank you for your long review, your help, and your compliments! I'll definitely be talking to you for help when it comes to converting. :)

LittleMissGiggles'94': OMG I KNOW I WAS FREAKING OUT TOO! I really still can't believe I actually finished it. Probably because it's really not over yet. But to be honest I was a little sad. I loved writing The Guardian. I honestly can't believe I persevered through six years of writing a single story. And it's twice the length of HP 5!!! can you believe that? Crazy. Thank you for reading!!!! 3

Meathead-the-1st: lol. No worries, I love reviews with no particular meaning. Haha. Ya well, I love moose. They're just so random. Not to mention the name is so random. I mean, how can I help it? They rock. Haha. OMG YEAH! I love that part with the moose crush. There were a few references to moose in that story. Couldn't resist, really. It's a trademark. Yah I hate good fanfictions (which is pretty rare to find) that are discontinued. It's really sad. I'm very proud that I finished it. :)

dares to dream: AHHHH OMG I HI BETA!!!! Yea she did almost die ten times. When I was rereading the story, I went back and counted just because I was curious. Imagine my surprise (or lack thereof) that she reached the double digits. Haha. James had a pretty high count too. I always imagined Romeli as being older too. When I covert everything to non-fanfiction I think I'm going to start the story when she's seventeen. Originally (when I started writing in middle school), I made her 13. Then I pushed it up to 15 when I was editing. Yes, she will definitely find out why she has green hair. She'll find out a lot of things actually. Awww...I remember back in the day when I started the story. I think I was insane. I just can't believe I finished it. Hmm. And I know. Even when I end the story, it's a cliffhanger. Oh, Moose. You are just so...bold. Oh, and I'm totally planning on publishing it! Once it's good enough. :)

Saphiria: Yay I did finally finish it! ...only to start it again, really. Haha. Yay panther. Ya I've been planning on it being a panther for a long time. I really couldn't think of any other animal. I was tempted to have it be an eagle or something...but panthers are too cool. Omg I'm so glad that you understood Romeli's train of thought when everything clicked together. I was concerned that everything would be too confusing. So your words are a relief. Thank you so much for you awesome compliments!!! Love it. :) And your email didn't show up in your review, so I really hope you find this. I'm kind of worries. Hopefully you're stalking my profile page. Haha. Hmm. You're right. There never was a moose was there. Huh. Perhaps in this story then? You never know...

inktounge: THANK YOU!!! I still can't believe I actually finished it. It's a bit depressing really. I love that story.

Grace: I KNOW OMG I FINISHED IT!!! I'm glad you liked my ending. I was worried that it would be lame. I've noticed that the weakest part in any story is the ending. Hopefully I can pull off another adequate one. And I followed your advice. It seemed like such a good idea, that I couldn't help but throw in James and his scary conversations into this chapter. Hope you liked it! You inspired it! Haha...yea I did scrap the antlers. Omg. James Franco is only one of the most amazing actors ever. He plays Spiderman's best friend in the spiderman movies. Harry? I think that's his name. He's also the stoner in pineapple express. Yesss. I hope you found the sequel. Haha. :)


	2. Shill's Hills

We are IN THE DIVINE REALMS!!!!

Now I just want to let you know that I had every intention of rereading the Wild Mage series, scrutinizing its fourth book for every fact and fraction concerning our story's new setting. Then I realized that I am an original person with enough imagination and motivation to not touch the book and still make the Divine Realms awesome...albeit very inaccurate.

That said, I hope you don't mind the Moose version of the Divine Realms. Daine and Numair free.

I drew a map of the Divine Realms that I'll upload for you all. But I am in the process of moving out for college, so I am without a printer/scanner at the moment. Next chapter it will be ready! :D

**Song for this Chapter**: Green bushes -passacaglia on an Enligh folk-song – Percy Grainger. It's a classical-folk piece. Perfect for this chapter. One of the most adventurous songs you could ever listen to.

**And a thank you to Dares To Dream, my trusty beta. :) **

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Chapter 2: Shill's Hills

* * *

"For some reason I had this predetermined idea that the Divine Realms would look...divine."

Indeed, James' words spoke nothing but the truth. The party of five stood atop a small knoll tucked in the barren and brown fields stretching infinitely in front of them. Then again, the standing party of five was more of a party of four plus one collapsed on the ground with hands clasped over ears. All judgments of the unimpressive foliage were wildly abandoned and James crouched to Romeli's side worriedly.

"What's wrong with her?" he demanded, eyes glancing between Guardians and girlfriend with acrobatic speed.

Naraya came over and touched her velvety nose to Romeli's cheek. The green haired girl looked up in obvious pain, eyeing the panther with disbelief.

Romeli did not expect a welcome party. She didn't expect a full of fiesta for her arrival, nor did she expect chastisement. Above all however, Romeli did not expect an onslaught of Godly plants and animals to overwhelm her. The second her feet had touched the rough prairie grass, the inner balance set fatefully within her did an ill-timed flip.

Incessant voices buzzed in her head, and the hands covering her ears did little to mute the sound. She stared at Naraya, fully annoyed. "Please tell the grass to shut up."

Incapable of laughing, Naraya licked her chops instead, exposing fangs which were nearly sharper than her courage. _I don't hear anything, _the panther reminded her subject. _You're the one with plant magic. _

Romeli's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the ground. "Right. And just because you're Gods doesn't mean you can yap in my head as loud as you want," she snapped, scowling at the not so green greenery. The callous grass below her simmered down to a soft boil. She sighed and rose to her feet again, pleased with herself.

_The magnitude of your Golden Magic will be much more massive here in the Divine Realms, _Old White told her promptly. _Since every living being here is a God of some sort, their powers are strong. You are used to mortal grass and animals. Everyone here is immortal. You will just have to get used to the feeling. _

"Getting used to this feeling will feel weird," Romeli muttered, rubbing her head. "I feel like I'm going to explode."

_Which won__'__t happen, I assure you, _promised Sclythe coiled below her. _Explosions are frowned upon in this realm. _

_You'll adapt nonetheless, _assured Naraya with assertive ease. _Now if you would follow us, the both of you must meet someone. _

The three Guardians leapt down from the small hill they topped. Romeli and James adjusted the straps on their packs, while they themselves adjusted to the new atmosphere they would now be living in, perhaps for forever.

At the foot of the hill sat a humble door, alerting James and Romeli to the fact that this hill was no hill, but a home. The proud feline of the group did not hesitate when she scratched her paw against the wooden entryway, leaving an impressive graze.

"You could have knocked," commented a booming voice from the inside. The door, which was rather small in size, opened to reveal a man taller than the hill-home itself. He stood before them, practically folded in half to squeeze through the doorframe. His outfit was as peculiar as the size of his home—a pair of brown shorts made of deer hides with a matching vest. He was an interesting man, though to say he was all man would be false. His face looked more sheep than human, a statement supported by the curling horns jutting out the side of his head.

His height was as high as his manners, and he immediately welcomed his newcomers inside his upland abode.

Romeli looked around curiously, soaking in the interesting furnishings that hills could potentially adorn. The rounded room sported a homely cabin theme, complete with aspen woven rugs, rich wooden furniture, and a love for fresh timber. She stole a glance at the interesting man to find that any restrictions keeping him from standing to his full height were void. He had no problem towering over his guests, with plenty of room between head and ceiling.

James seemed to have noticed the same phenomenon, convincing him that any sense of spatial reasoning would soon be lost before the day was done.

"I'm Shill, God of the Hill People," he welcomed, addressing Romeli and James with a large hand. "Please, sit down."

The party obliged, giving in to the soft threads of Shill's cabin themed upholstery.

"I like your name," Romeli complimented, seated next to James and a relatively woodsy candle garnish. "It's very...hill-like."

Shill let out a bellowing laugh which shook the furniture. "We Hill People have never been a creative kind. Our originality knows its limits—with the limit pertaining to names that _don't _rhyme with hill. And you are?"

"Oh. I'm Romeli Salmalin," she greeted quickly. Shill's eyes brightened with enthusiasm. Romeli had no idea that Hill People were so lively. "And this is Jameson of Queenscove."

"James," the young man corrected, offering a handshake as well as the informal abbreviation of his name.

Shill took both with gusto. "James, pleased to meet you," he beamed. "What an exciting day indeed. A day of adventure! A day of new beginnings!"

_But with adventure and beginnings comes setbacks and challenges, _Sclythe reminded the group surrounding him. The cobra himself was curled up in front of the warm hearth, savoring the licking fire from the stone fireplace.

Romeli was relatively confused, seeing as she hadn't noticed a chimney protruding from the hill when they first arrived. In lieu of curiosity, she reasoned that her brief inner-balance mishap was to blame and left the observation alone.

"But of course!" agreed Shill with a prompt nod. "An adventure would not be adventurous with no risk or contingency."

"And where will this adventure end?" asked James, glancing at the Gods before him. Romeli's ears perked up, pinpointing her focus on the topic at hand rather than mysterious hill fireplaces.

_That's the beauty of this adventure, really, _mused Old White, pawing the woven rug at his feet. _The undertaking ends when it wants to, or to be more specific, when the Greater Gods want it to. When they feel the time is right and Romeli has grown strong enough_ _they will make themselves known__,_ _n__o later or earlier than that. _

"Then what are we supposed to do until then?" Romeli inquired. "Where do we go? What do we do?" She felt like she was grasping at straws, but since that didn't appropriately embrace the woodsy themed interior of her current housing, she decided to grasp at pine cones instead.

"That's the beauty of it!" exclaimed Shill with his usual vivacity. "You venture the Divine Realms for the sake of experience, embrace your surroundings for the sake of recreation, and learn to love life for the sake of living it!" By the time Shill's miniature monologue was finished, he was beaming.

_I couldn't say it better even if I was at par with his enthusiasm, _Sclythe added, flicking out his tongue lazily. From the look of his resting head, he had no intention of trying.

For some reason Romeli always had this idea that the Divine Realms would be set up for her like a treasure map, with her identity its life fulfilling chest of gold doubloons. Now that hardly seemed to apply anymore. This was a difficult concept to grasp, for Romeli's world had always been mapped out to some extent. Her goals, whether big or small, were consistently supported with clues, theories, and fact.

Now she had nothing. She was expected to search for something that could not be found until it was deserved, in a realm lacking in both spatial and architectural reasoning. The idea was so abstract that it seemed impossible. At least when she was saving the world from Maggur's tightfisted reign, she was battling something physical.

Her Guardians were amused with her internal feud, but said nothing.

What James said however, shocked everyone. "Sounds fun," he commented.

"Now that's a lad!" boomed Shill with a wide grin. "You're a man of bold undertakings!"

"But how do we start? And where do we go?" asked Romeli, her face screwed up in frustration.

_Wherever your heart tells you to, _Naraya replied simply, her golden eyes fixated on her inquirer.

Romeli's eyes narrowed. "That's remarkably cliché."

_Statements such as these are only cliché because they are true, _she replied steadily.

A forefinger rose in Romeli's defiant hand, but it lowered seconds after, defeated.

"I don't see the problem," James added, taking Romeli's hand in his, victimizing it even more with convincing gestures of affection. "You've always loved the spontaneity of life."

"Yeah, when the spontaneity of it has nothing to do with the outcome. I dislike the idea of cluelessly wandering the Divine Realms just as much as I would dislike Maggur ambushing this hill-home via tea cozies and various other kitchenware."

"Which is so unbelievably obscure, I don't even know how you came up with it," he pointed out, staring into her eyes deeply.

_Life is full of enticing ambiguities, _started Old White gently. _With this adventure being one of many. To be afraid of its surprises is to be afraid of life itself. I've pushed you through a few rough patches, Romeli, but never did I think you would have a hard time adventuring through the Divine Realms with no parental guidance. _

"Or map!" piped in Shill with a positive tenor.

Romeli's eyes bulged.

"I don't think you're helping," James told the Hill Man as he gave her hand a short squeeze.

"As daunted as I am with this newfound mapless piece of information," started Romeli, mulling over her words. "I can't disagree with everyone's pieces of wisdom. And though I'd kindly like to decline this whole Divine Realm deal, I kind of can't turn it down." When she glanced at her listeners, her eyes had acquired a briefly lost shine. "I've never been one to refuse an adventure."

"Well this is just wonderful!" exclaimed Shill. "Trust me when I say you're in for the experience of a lifetime!"

Surprisingly, Romeli hoped he was right. Though it had only been four months since her near-death duel with ten black robed mages, she already felt restocked and ready to go for the next endangerment.

"Nonconformist Divine Realm Pioneers," she muttered excitedly, still wrapped in James' arms.

_I'm going to pretend like I know what that means, _announced Sclythe dryly.

"Your pioneering will have to wait until tomorrow I'm afraid," informed Shill, looking slightly downcast for the first time since their timely arrival. "It's best that you spend the night here. You may not feel it now, but transportation between realms is a draining task. Any second now you'll fall fast asle—."

Without warning, James and Romeli collapsed, James' body crashing to the ground with a theatrical thump and Romeli's hulking precariously over the arm of Shill's pine settee. Both were fast asleep in seconds.

_Impeccable timing, Shill, _announced Naraya, clearly impressed.

_We Hill People have a knack with disturbed sleep schedules, _Shill explained modestly, converting to mind speech as he picked up both of the bodies and slung them over his broad shoulders. _Follow me and we'll take them to my favorite hummock. It's aquatic themed. _

_That's ironically unfitting, _voiced Old White as he trailed the tall man. _And I use the word 'ironically' in a sarcastic sense. _

_Noted, _Shill replied. _But ironic or not, I want them to have a comfortable sleep one last time. You know they'll need it. _

_Of course we know, _Naraya agreed, walking comfortably next to Shill's elongated legs. _They're in the Divine Realms. _

Sclythe trailed behind grimly, voicing the thoughts of every God in the miniature parade. _And not every God is good. _

* * *

Hmm. I really must apologize for the short chapters. I don't know what's gotten into me. Perhaps I've lost my mojo again (it's happened more than once, you see). Well, hopefully it will return in time for the third chapter.

Replies:

OddAly: Reviewing from a mobile device! Not that is what I call dedication. As for the reading from the phone...I am so shocked and surprised that I am going to award you with one of my 'shocked and surprised cookies'. The secret ingredient is shredded tea cozy. I am hoping (as you most likely are), that the first chapter will lead to updates even better than that initial one. Hopefully you will let me know if I'm doing my job right. Ah ha ha. Oh Numair and his fatherly outrages.

Lena: Ah ha! Why thank you!!! I also, can not wait to write more. But I have to wait for my creative juices to restock. Writing five chapters in a month is a draining task. And yea. Numair pretty much lost his head, his arm, and other bodily parts that don't really need to be specified. Also, I liked the begging review. I just got it. Haha. Wow. I'm impressed you read it twice. That takes a lot of time...and willpower. Haha. Off to go update now! Hahaha.

Selene224: mwa ha ha...I really do hope that The Enlightenment will be a good one. I have the plot down, now all I need is the good writing and perseverance part. At this point this story can be a hit or miss. Which means I have to write carefully. … . rambling, anywho, glad you liked the Numair and Alanna parts. Those were so fun to write. I was laughing the whole time.

Silver-star-0: YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD HAVE SENT ME A MESSAGE, OR, OR, REVIEWED, OR SOMETHING! I THOUGHT YOU DIED!!! ...my favorite reader! (gasp). But. I'm glad you found the sequel. Alanna and Numair were definitely a crack up. And YA! He punched James, which was great because I've always wanted to write that. The whole Numair part was like one of the funniest things I've written in a while. Haha. I'm glad you noticed the 'similar initial flashback paragraphs'. I think it added a bit of character. :) Glad you liked!

RandomTamTamlover: hahahahaha NUMAIR. Yea that scene got a little out of control, but I honestly could not help myself. I'm glad you laughed, which is always good. Hopefully there will be more laughs in this story. I have a few giggles up my sleeves. My old style of writing is like...how I usually write. This style has a lot more descriptive narration, witty comments, and poetic prose in dialogue. I also use a lot of repetition for creative affect. It's a pretty hard style to write, but if you get in the groove, it's fantastic. Right now (as I'm working on chapter 6), I need to work on getting into that groove again. . blegh. :)

Alliekat1996: I think I'm definitely gonna put it in first perspective. It's gonna be hard, but I think it will be worth it. I am going to research a lot on publishing first though. See what's big right now, and work from there. I know! I love Pushing Daisies!!! it did get discontinued...which is a shame. It was the only decent show out there. That an scrubs which is gone now too. Style wise, I kind of stole Pushing Daisie's narrator, and turned him into the 'voice' of the story. The narrative descriptors are more witty, the dialogue more poetic. The flow is cleaner, it's not as moody and dark either. It's amusing and much more artsy. But no, no making out through plastic. That was weird. Haha. In a cute way. Haha!!!! I'm glad you like the time traveling story. That was such a kick to write. It's a shame I never got any competition on that, but ah well. It was still fun to write.

A Matter Of Love and Fantasy: Want more? You got it. :) I should be updating around every three weeks.

Grace: aww. Lol. You caught on eventually. I'm relieved you found it honestly. I was worried. Haha. And I suppose I did update relatively soon...like a week later...or so... haha. I'm glad you liked the Alanna and Numair scenes!!! They were so fun to write. And everyone else liked them as well. Thank you for the idea! LOL. Unorthodox fish murderer. I love it when my creative genius kicks in and creates gems like that. It only happens like...every other chapter. . But I kind of like this chapter. Hope ya keep readin'!

LittleMissGiggles'94': God. Stupid fanfiction. I've heard it's been screwed up, but haven't really been on much to notice. Don't worry about the delayed review! What happens, happens. Haha. Glad you like the title and the chapter. Certainly a relief. Haha. I was surprised that I started the sequel so soon also, but I felt a kick of creativity and went with it. Hopefully it lasts for a while. I think Alanna's outbursts were pretty in character. She's a temperamental person in general. She's getting older. She's a legend, and her squire just bailed on her to go frollick through the divine realms. How would you feel? Haha. Numair was pretty out of character, but I can also imagine him as being very territorial when it comes to his daughter. But whatevs!! haha.


	3. A Deeper Introduction

Sorry about the wait everyone. :) I am just getting settled into college so things have been a little hectic. Ironically, matters will be getting a little hectic over in the Divine Realm as well.

Mwa ha ha ha!!!

**Song for this Chapter: **Over My Head → Cable Car.

* * *

Chapter 3: A Deeper Introduction

_

* * *

In the last chapter..._

_James, Romeli, and the three Guardians arrive in the Divine Realms. Of course there's a minor setback: the plants are super annoying and talkative, and Romeli is having a hard time controlling her Golden Magic around them. No matter. They meet Shill, the hill man. He's awesome. _

* * *

Romeli awoke to the gentle caresses of light blue sheets and a fish tank. Though the sheets did more caressing than the fish, both were enjoyable to the eye and she caught herself staring at them for a few moments before realizing three important facts:

1) She was in the Divine Realms, which to say the least, was in a completely different dimension than Corus.

2) Her temporary abode was not only inside a small hill, but it was aquatic themed.

3) The cozy bed she had apparently slept in housed not only her, but an immensely attractive young man by the name Jameson of Queenscove.

Noticing his long body situated next to hers, she looked over to find him lounging against the backboard reading a novel titled _Sea Cucumbers Devoured My Slacks._

"There's breakfast on the table," James told her as he set down the book. "But I didn't want to wake you."

Romeli glanced over at the display of food across the room, but found the meal in front of her much more appealing. "You hold a book as often as you hold a sword," she observed, picking the peculiar novel up and admiring its sea foam green cover.

"It's best to exercise the mind as well as the body," he replied, stretching out his arms.

She set the book down and laughed while attempting to climb over his reclining body and towards the table of breakfast goodies. James watched with fascination as she made it to the edge of the bed before losing grip on his shoulder and plummeted to the ground.

He peered over the bed with a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head with a groan. "Did you do that on purpose or are you really that clumsy?"

"None of the above," she snapped, slightly embarrassed. Before her shame could heighten, she crawled over to the table and grabbed a glass of orange juice, sipping it gingerly.

Deciding that dawdling in bed with nothing but a cucumber themed text was lazy, he slipped out of bed and situated himself next to her.

"You should try the waffles," Romeli recommended, her mouth full of strawberries. "They're in the shape of Bowhead Whales."

James picked up the waffle and admired it from every angle. "How can you tell it's a Bowhead Whale? It just looks like a fish to me."

"You can tell because of the lower jaw," Romeli told him, running her finger along her own whale waffle's chiseled mouth. "It's strong and large compared to the upper jaw."

James shrugged and wolfed down his waffle, his hunger getting the best of him. "Bowhead Whales taste good," he concluded.

"All of this food does," she observed, helping herself to a bowl of granola. "It tastes so..."

"Divine?"

Romeli nodded. "Yeah. Which is appropriate, I suppose."

"Look, Shill left us a note," James observed, pushing away a platter of orange slices to reach it. The note took form in a small card, entitled with their names.

_Romeli and James!_

_I hope the both of you had a well rested sleep! After your breakfast, please come to my hill. It's only two away from this one, towards the right. Bring everything with you! After a little more instruction on the Divine Realms, you will be on your way! Hope you like the Bowhead Whale waffles!_

_Shill. _

"His enthusiasm knows no bounds," noted James, setting the card down again. "Not even in calligraphy."

Romeli was too pleased with her correct waffle species classification to hear his opinion. She glanced at James with raised brows. "You ready?"

He popped the rest of his waffle into his mouth and tucked an orange into his pocket. "Always."

As far as morning preparation went, they really did not need to prepare at all. They had slept in the same clothes they arrived in, still matching thematically with emerald tunics and black breeches. Next to the front door sat their packs, untouched and ready to go. They put them on and exited the maritime knoll without looking back.

The sun was hot on their backs, countering the snowfall that would be lightly powdering Corus with late winter weather. Every direction they looked, hills sprinkled the browned grass. It took a few minutes to calculate just which hill was Shill's. They all looked the same.

"I wonder if the insides of these hills are all occupied," brooded Romeli as they made their short walk to Shill's cabin themed residence. Once they were outside, the buzzing of the grass broke through her mind again, distracting her for a few moments. It was a bit more challenging to quiet the grass' monotonous prattle in comparison to their mortal realm children. Every time she put one foot in front of the other, her soul seemed to stir. Her Guardians were right—this would definitely need some getting used to.

"Do you think this is it?" James asked as they stood in front of a hill that looked exactly like their own.

"Huh?"

He looked at her oddly. "Is this Shill's place?" he repeated, motioning to the small door in front of them.

"I don't know. Naraya's scratch isn't on the door anymore," she observed with a shrug. "But I guess there's only one way to find out." Her fist made contact with the door's thick wood and she knocked upon it with purpose.

The door was thrown open immediately, revealing a beaming Shill, his grin stretching from one ear to the other. He ushered them in with a wave of his arm before promptly closing the door behind him.

"Welcome!" He greeted, his booming voice shaking the timbered furniture. "Please, sit down."

James and Romeli did so immediately, situating themselves in the same sofa they had yesterday. Shill settled down across from them in a creaking rocking chair constructed from rough branches.

"Now, I just need to inform you of a few things about the Divine Realms," he started, crossing one leg over the other as he looked into their eyes. His curling horns pointed at them elegantly, though for once Shill's expression looked hardened.

"First, it must be stressed with the utmost importance that this realm is a very dangerous one. The two of you have resided in the mortal realms for your whole life. This is a land like no other."

"For some reason I always thought the Divine Realms would be a peaceful and harmonious place," Romeli responded, eyeing the God before her with confusion.

"It is! One of the most peaceful places in the cosmos, in fact. But every realm requires a balance. With peace comes struggle, and with harmony comes dissonance. It's a law of nature that stretches beyond the Gods. That said, the 'dissonant' side of the Divine Realms is _very _cacophonous. Some of our inhabitants are quite...unkind."

"But that means there are equally as kind Gods here too, right?" Romeli's brows were raised as she met the eyes of the sheep-man in front of her

"Proven by your generous aquatic hill hospitality," added James.

"Your nightly stay in my makeshift ocean getaway was surely not a problem!" wove away Shill. "But I suppose you are right. It is a universal habit to remember the negative in lieu of its positive. Either way, what's said is said. Not all Gods are good Gods. Which brings me to my next point: a lot of immortals will want to eat you. And by you, I mean Jameson. No offense to you, Romeli."

She gave him an odd look. "Um...none taken?"

James was unmoved, though actually he _did _reposition his seating on the sofa. "I thought that Gods don't need to eat...since they're immortal."

"True, but what's the fun in a food free existence? Many of us enjoy the taste of chocolate cake just as much as any mortal. Then there are some that substitute chocolate with human flesh."

The two of them swallowed hardly.

"The true threat to your insides is not a man eating God, however—they will have the self discipline to hold back. The immortals, on the other hand, will not."

"And by immortals you mean spidrens, taurus, centaurs..." Romeli trailed off at Shill's nod.

"Don't forget the Giant Squid," he added in.

"Why is it only me that they would eat? Why not Romeli? No offense, that is."

"None taken," she repeated, curious as to the answer herself.

Shill blinked once. "They don't like green hair."

Romeli would have been insulted if she knew it wasn't a lie. James, realizing the same thing, accepted the statement for what it was and said nothing more.

"And speaking of our little mage here," he continued, pleased with his flawless transition. "It must be said that you aren't the most unique being in the realm anymore."

Romeli beamed. "That's great! I'll finally fit in for once."

"Well, not exactly. Your traveling gear and obvious lack of direction will surely notify everyone that you two are foreigners. I was referring to your magic, actually. You certainly aren't the only one here with Wild Magic. I can name a few Gods who have their ways with the plants. Here, your powers are just like everyone else's. Save for your Gift, of course." He looked at both of them with a beam.

"And what about my Golden Magic?"

The sheep-man seemed to wink. "You aren't the only one here with great abilities, Romeli. But I suppose that explanation must be left for a later time, and by later I mean after you discover your identity."

Shill was starting to sound just as mysterious as Romeli's Guardians and that, in turn, tied her up in a great knot of confusion.

Her knot would have to be unraveled at a later time, however. Shill was already off on his next explanation. "Now, if the immortals aren't keeping you on your toes, I recommend exerting the rest of your energy on a nice little hobby—anything that will keep you from picking fights with the Gods. We may not look it, but we're quite a temperamental bunch. Barking up a God's tree is practically a death wish. In fact, I'd stay out of the whole forest. Most of us could easily defeat you both in a fight."

"We come in peace," insisted James, both of his hands in the air to prove his point.

"Oh come now! Where's the fun in that?" Shill exclaimed throwing an arm in the air.

Romeli blinked. "But...didn't you just tell us...?"

"Bah! I thought warnings were supposed to provoke you young whippersnappers, what with your raging hormones and all!"

"We didn't come here to whipper and snapper," James told the hill man with level eyes.

"Just to find my identity," Romeli finished.

Shill brought his forefinger and thumb to his chin. "Your drive towards your goal is impressive," he admitted after a moment. "Though, sometimes the best way to discover something is not to look at all. But never mind that! We have much to discuss yet! An important fact to inform you both of is that the Divine Realm has no rules—only politics."

James frowned. "This realm has a government system?"

Surprisingly, Shill burst out into laughter, his bellows shaking the furniture. "A _government system? _Bah, of course not! Everyone knows their place, and for the most part we are very solitary beings. Only rarely do the Gods feud. And the Greater Gods...well they _never _fight."

"And if they did?" asked Romeli, trying to understand the obscure system.

"Well that would bring an end to the universe, which is never good."

Both James and Romeli grew considerably pale.

Shill however, did not seem disturbed by the idea. "Anyhow, I suppose our lifestyle requires only one law: respect. There isn't a set punishment for breaking it, but I'm sure there would be a lot of Gods prepared to change that."

"Our temptation to disrespect the Gods is at par with our temptation to fight with them," James reasoned slowly.

"Why would we even do either? This is their realm, not ours."

Shill stared at them for a moment before conjuring up a vanilla milkshake and speaking again. "Uh huh. Well sometimes conflict will come upon you in the most unpredictable of manners."

Romei's left eyebrow twitched as she stared at Shill's frothing drink. Her lips were pursed together, which in turn helped her in fighting back the temptation to tear the frappe from his colossal hands and devour it then and there. "How...how did you do that?"

"As I said before," Shill started, a milkshake mustache clinging to his upper lip before he wiped it away. He flashed them a slick grin as he spoke. "The Divine Realm has no rules."

Romeli was just as confused as Shill's milkshake was frothy, and though the latter was cold (both thermally and emotionally), Romeli had no problem in answering to her emotions. No rules? The idea hardly made any sense at all. Everywhere there were rules. Laws, guidelines, orders, the list went on an on, officially maintaining order through a dogmatic demeanor. Then again, Romeli enjoyed breaking rules much more than following them, a statement proven by her detached relationship with the Tortallan King. Though that hardly mattered anymore, considering she would probably never return home again...

But _this? Milkshakes?_ She tried breaking rules in _that _department before. The only outcome was a cataclysmic glitter cloud which did not hesitate in commandeering the palace for its shiny antics; and a chocolate bookcase. No one could summon a milkshake unless they were in mortal peril. From the looks of Shill's homely woodland ottoman, this was not the case.

Then again, Shill was a God. And if Romeli learned anything from her mother, it was that the Gods were _crazy. _

"Now what would you say is your main goal here in the Divine Realm?"

"Identity."

"Wrong."

"...what?"

_Absolutely _crazy.

"Yes, that it was you're striving towards," Shill explained, taking another swig of his beverage. "But your goal, above all others, is to _survive._"

"Look, you're making this whole expedition sound like a death wish," started James with a frown. "All we'll be doing is wandering around, right?"

"Wandering has its way of leading its followers into places they do not wish to go," Shill replied.

"Then why don't you give us a map?" James met Shill's eyes steadily, his gaze as unwavering as the wooden sofa he sat on.

"Well that would defeat the point wouldn't it?" Shill answered, a large grin of amusement peeling across his lips.

"The point of what, _dying?" _

"Been there done that," Romeli muttered, though she found herself removed from the conversation, her mind reeling.

This time, Shill didn't bother containing his laughter. His eyes were shining with an amusement that could not be rivaled. "Your goal to survive is not because it will be hard to live, but because surviving _is_ living. When you're trying to survive, you're embracing each moment like it's your last. Every memory, adventure, conversation, and portrait of what you see out there should be stuffed in your head until you both are a couple of stuffed, memory..._virtuosos!_ That way, when your time comes, at whatever time that may be, your life will be lived, with plenty of memories to admire it by. Not just the good memories either! The bad too! Those are just as important."

Romeli and James found that they could only nod.

"I hope the Gods we come across are as wise as you," James confessed, dipping down his head.

Shill wove away his hand and placed his milkshake on a pine tree coaster. "I've been living for hundreds of thousands of years. I would hope I've learned at least _something_." Without warning, Shill stood up to his full height, beckoning his two guests to do the same.

They rushed to put on their packs as Shill made his way to the door, talking as he did so. "Make sure you approach every situation with an open mind," he instructed. "There's more than one solution to any predicament, no matter how sticky. Conflict, as you probably know, can not just be solved through brute force. You will need brains as much as brawn."

By the time he had finished his last string of advice, his hand was on the doorknob. Shill glanced behind him, looking at Romeli and James, who stood somewhat shaken behind him.

"Oh brighten up!" he told them. "This will be fun! You won't even need a map. Naraya's advice to you yesterday is the most valuable of all: follow your heart."

He swung the door open and pushed Romeli and James outside with one impressive swing of his arm.

"Off you go now!" he called with a grin.

The door shut in front of their faces, leaving Romeli and James in the stretching expanse of rolling hills that infinitely surrounded them.

* * *

Next chapter the adventure continues! Well...more like the adventure begins. Sort of. Actually, definitely. It definitely begins next chapter.

Let me know what you guys think. This story has a lot of spots for ideas, changes, etc. Etc. Review!!

Replies:

Lady-Star-Shaddow: I hope it will be as good as the Guardian as well. Right now I have my doubts, only because the Guardian had so much plot. This one still has a lot of open space for possibilities, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I want something big to happen, but I don't know what. Also, welcome to . :) Have you written anything yet?? You should! It's great.

Saphiria: read read read read. I do love reading. And writing as well, but I'm going through a bit of a writer's block unfortunately. Good news is I've been through so many writer's blocks that it's all routine now. Haha. Thanks for readin'!!

Grace: hahaha. Oh modestly. Well I didn't really mean for that to sound conceded. Just sometimes I think of something awesome and I HAVE to write it in. Hahaha Hill people indeed! That was another impulse creation of mine. I think it was a good one though. Shill the hill man is quite the character.

OddAly: COOKIES. Mmmm. I have been craving so many bad foods lately. It's horrible. Blegh. Like ice cream. I don't even like ice cream and I ate some twice yesterday. So strange. Mojo mojo. I got my mojo back then it went away again. It should be coming around again soon though. It always does. Like an uncommitting lover.

Silver-star-0: of course you're alive!!! :D AHHHHH!!! I was so happy that you were alive I like ran around my room. It was a spectacular moment for me. Zombies? Oh lord. Haha. I have this weird thing where I think that anyone who is sick has the potential to be a zombie. It's all I Am Legend's fault. Haha. I think I like my version of the Divine Realms as well. I think it will have a lot more detail, Gods, and...of course...disproportional archetecture.

LittleMissGiggle'94': :) !!!! Thanks for reading!! Yes, I hope that my chapters will grow longer as time daudles on. I can only hope though. Haha.


	4. Seize the Day

I guess this is where we begin our real adventure, seeing as the two previous chapters have been full of mere introductions and recapitulations.

**Song for this Chapter: **Daylight → Matt & Kim. Though I've just discovered this song today, I'm already convinced that it will be this novel's theme. :D It fits like woah.

* * *

Chapter 4: Seize the Day

* * *

_In the last chapter..._

_Romeli and James are given a little instruction from Shill on how to survive in the Divine Realm. Pretty much all you need to know is that James is a piece of meat, provoking Gods=bad, and ignoring rules/livin' life is the best way to survive. _

_...that is...if they do survive. _

_

* * *

  
_

"He slammed the door on us," muttered James, feeling rejected as they trudged through the rough field grass at their feet.

Romeli didn't feel much better about the predicament. "Slamming us into reality in the process."

"This is reality? The Divine Realms is the oddest place I've ever seen," James returned as they made their way around yet another hill.

"And we've barely seen any of it," Romeli pointed out. The bickering plants at her feet did little to lift her mood. Despite the effort put in to silence them, the grass babbled on. "We've literally only been walking for two minutes."

"I really hope the Divine Realm isn't composed of just hills and their inhabitants. In fact, I wouldn't really mind some action right now."

"Well you're just _dumb!" _Romeli blurted out, red faced. Her hands were balled up in tight fists.

James looked at her, startled. "I...sorry?"

"What? Oh, Gods no," Romeli breathed out, relaxing into her usual pigmentation. "It's these plants. They wont _shut up._"

Her Divine Realm companion looked at her oddly before bothering to speak again. "Your Guardian's said you would get used to it eventually."

Romeli wanted to say, "Shut up you Golden Magic-less fiend and let me complain as much as I want, seeing as plants are a very talkative folk and even though I had Bowhead Whale waffles for breakfast, that still doesn't shine through this raining parade, even though technically it's very sunny out so rain is completely out of the question." But instead she just sighed and muttered, "I know."

"In the mean time, I suppose we should do what Shill recommended," he returned to her two-word agreement. The two of them were maneuvering around yet another hill and felt disheartened when they realized there was no break to the rolling terrain. Not even a tree was in sight.

"He told us to do many things. Is there one in particular that we should follow through with?"

"Living life to the fullest," James returned simply, stealing a glance at her. "Seems easy enough. Besides, we have nothing better to do."

Romeli couldn't help but agree, and yet... "This is so strange," she confessed, leaning against a neighboring hill. She hoped the knoll was an abandoned one that did not contain a particularly territorial hillman, but the concern lasted for mere seconds.

James stood in front of her, his eyes softening to her disbelieving expression. "It's not strange, just unusual, maybe queer in a fanciful way. Like dessert spoons."

"An unpredictable, terrifyingly vibrant, and talkative dessert spoon," she breathed. "A killer dessert spoon with an appetite for mortal flesh, Queenscove flavored."

"My edibility should be the least of our problems," he told her, running a thumb along her jawline. "We're here now, with the whole realm in front of us like a...gigantic untouched chocolate cake. We need to savour each slice so that when it's gone we can recall its creamy cocoa filling."

"I suppose you're right, huh," she replied, taking his hand into her own. "Your dessert comparisons have made me motivated...and hungry."

James grinned and gave her a quick peck on the lips before they set off again. "We'll take a break for lunch in a couple hours," he assured.

"Until then, we might as well pass the time with jokes and spirits," Romeli settled.

Despite their lack of liquor, the two travelers scoured the countryside, exchanging stories and laughing in spite of their aimless wanderings.

OOO

"Wouldn't it be nice to live in a home with no furniture?"

James practically tripped over his own feet at her odd remark. "A home with no furniture hardly seems like a home at all."

They had been walking for three hours now, conversing about one topic to the next. While their subjects of conversation changed periodically, the terrain did not. The two were still in hill country, and the somewhat bland scenery looked like it would be holding up for a while. In order to keep themselves entertained, they talked, bringing up any thought that would pop into their heads.

"I don't know, I always thought it would be cool," Romeli explained. "If I ever got a place of my own I would want it to be small—like a modest flat in the palace with just a couple of rooms. Completely empty. Then, after I save up some money, I'll buy one piece of furniture at a time."

"Despite how absurd that idea is, I actually kind of like it."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. I always thought that empty rooms were kind of fun. If you wear the right socks, you could slide across the wooden floor if you wanted."

"With no obstructions," Romeli finished, with a sure nod. "That sounds almost as fun as walking across an endless hill countryside."

James chuckled loudly enough to annoy the swaying grass at their feet. Over the past few hours, Romeli focused on tuning in to James' voice, which in turn tuned out the noisy grass below. The technique worked most of the time, and when it didn't, she found herself too distracted to care.

What exactly diverted her from the constant bickering of the savage pasture was James. Perhaps it was the way he walked, with a subtle gait of confidence that was just as strong as it was gentle. Or his arms, which pressed tightly against the sleeves of his tunic. Every time his hand accidentally brushed against hers, a jolt of electricity rushed through her body. Whenever he spoke, his low voice had her stomach doing flips. The subtle flashing grins in her direction did nothing to soothe her acrobatic digestive system.

It was in this state of distraction and captivation that she often found herself in while around James. It was nothing new, really. And yet each double back handspring of her stomach was no less than the previous. There was no helping her hormones now. She was already in love, and the link between them was unbreakable. Romeli only hoped that by some twist of fate she had the same effect on him.

"What has you so quiet all of a sudden?" James asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"The plants again." For the first time that day, Romeli lied.

"Darn turf," James muttered, "I would kick it for you, but I have a feeling that would do little to fix the predicament. You don't mind do you? I mean, you can always focus on something else." He took her hand in his, holding it for a time as they walked. "Like me?"

Romeli blinked as she stared at him. "You're always such a flirt," she accused. Her accusation did not run deep however. She was too busy internally answering his inquiries, the answers to which were _no _and _I'd love to. _In that order.

James laughed again. "You make it too easy," he murmured, not bothering with subtleties as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

Both of their stomachs decided to break the sexual tension that had settled upon them. With growls of notable ferocity, their insides alerted them to their hunger, making Romeli stop short with a fit of amusement.

"Lunch?" James rose his brows, displaying one of the Queenscove family's finest expressions.

Romeli couldn't deny his eyebrows, and she nodded. They tucked themselves against the slope of a particularly shaggy looking hill and dug into their packs in search of their journey-oriented menu.

The two settled on a fine assortment of dried fruit and crackers, in lieu of a heavier picnic. Had they the choice, they would have concocted a whole feast, but one worried thought rang above their heads.

"How long do you think we'll be traveling for?"

Romeli shrugged. "I wish I knew. Something tells me our food supply wont be holding up for long."

James had learned to always trust Romeli's 'something tells me' hunches. Rarely was she wrong with her estimations. "We have enough meals for a month. I guess we shouldn't worry about it until we have to."

"Hopefully we'll come across another hospitable God along the way."

Not bothering with warnings, Romeli's eyes widened, making James' heart catch in his throat. "What? What is it?" he demanded, hand snaked around the hilt of his sword.

"You've. Got. To. Try. This," she whispered, chewing slowly. In her hand sat a dried cherry, which had no temptation to be brutally mutilated by James' noble rapier.

James, who was also relieved that he did not have to result in violence, picked up the cherry and threw it into his mouth. He chewed it slowly, making sure that he identified every flavor. "This is the best cherry I've ever eaten!"

"I _know!" _she blurted, glowing. "Where did we even get these?"

"The lower market I think..."

"It's a shame we're probably never going back again," she muttered, looking downcast. Even a second delicious cherry did not brighten her homesick state.

James only shrugged, though he too wore a darker expression. "We have no idea what's going to happen, really. We don't even know which direction we're walking."

"Usually that thought would terrify me, but right now I think it's hilarious."

He looked up at her, not expecting to find her eyes full of amusement. Unable to hold in his own laughter, he snorted and broke into fits of hilarity along with her. Perhaps it was the ridiculousness of the situation, or maybe it was actually _funny_. Neither of them really knew, nor did they want to find out.

Their laughter had its way with them for a time, projecting out their worries and stress like a big emotional Heimlich until the only baggage left in their stomachs was a light lunch and a few remaining giggles.

"I think I just realized...," Romeli looked up from her fruit medley, making sure to meet James' eyes as she did so. "We're actually in the Divine Realms."

"The adrenaline and shock factor of the situation is really hitting us isn't it," James agreed. "I can hardly comprehend that we slept in a fish tank last night."

To be perfectly honest, Romeli had completely forgotten about their temporary aquatic getaway. For some reason, in between the informative yet terrifying conversation with Shill, the hours of wandering in the middle of hill country, talking with James, dealing with irritable plants, and eating a dried fruit themed lunch, the previous night had completely evaded her.

And it truly was a shame that she didn't remember the hill more vividly. The breakfast was amazing. There was a fish tank. Both of them had slept in the same bed. That was all she could really remember.

"James?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are we here? I mean _really. Why._"

His brow furrowed, answering her question as if it her obvious. "Because we need to discover your identity...and my destiny..."

"Exactly!" She threw her arms in the air, excited now. A melancholy cranberry flew out of her hand and into the dry brush. "Which we can't really do anything about anyways! We have no map, and even if we did, we have no location to get to. My identity will fall in front of me when it wants to, not when we arrive to it. Besides, we can't _arrive _in front of an identity, that wouldn't make any grammatical sense at all. Identity is an abstract noun, not a—."

"Romeli, you're rambling," James pointed out, staring at her pointedly.

"Well. My point is that as long as we have no where to get to, and no time constraint, we might as well enjoy what we have. You know, have fun and soak it all in."

"Isn't that pretty much what Shill told us to do this morning?"

"But I didn't realize his words until now!" Romeli exclaimed. "Exciting isn't it? Besides, I've been wanting to do something _all day. _Now that I have nothing holding me back..." She heaved herself to her feet, shoving the remaining handful of dried fruit in her mouth. Meal out of the way, she hiked one foot in front of the other, making her way to the top of their neighboring shaggy hill.

"Romeli, what are you doing?" he asked, staring up at her perch from his ground-level view. He had to shade his eyes with a hand to look at her clearly.

She only laughed hysterically in reply. "You better catch me!"

James braced himself, waiting for an onslaught. His steady footing and fortified hands were not needed. Romeli got on all fours and threw herself off the hill, rolling down it in a heap of emerald and black. She rolled down the hill with such velocity that all control was thrown out the window. She didn't realize her fated pathway until it was too late and James was tackled to the ground, her body sprawled across his.

"Caught you," he whispered. His lips brushed her cheeks with each word.

A day was long enough to keep a distance, and the two were all over each other before they could comprehend what had happened. James wrapped one hand around her neck, deepening their kisses. The other clutched her hip, pressing it closer. Romeli gave in to his devices, and found herself not wanting him to stop. Their kisses deepened, and she maneuvered one of her legs around his, igniting a fire in her stomach at their proximity

She fumbled with the ties of his tunic, loosening them until he could slip them off. He did so quickly, throwing away the garment before bringing his lips to hers again. Their breath was ragged as they kissed. She traced his arms with her hands, marveling at the firm muscles that rested there. His chest was sturdy against her own.

It wasn't the first time they carried on like this, with James pressing her closer to him while she ran her hands through his hair. It certainly wouldn't be the last either. But every time they gave in to temptation, it was harder to stop.

Romeli was untying her own tunic when James realized what this was leading to. Immediately he let go of her and sat up, forcing Romeli off of him and into a neighboring patch of grass.

With a hint of reluctance he shook his head. "No sex."

She almost looked hurt. "James..."

"I promised your father," he said, refusing to look up into her eyes.

Romeli's brows furrowed. "What? James, why would that even _matter? _We're in the Divine Realms. There's no parental supervision in the Divine Realms!"

"I know, but...but what if something happens? What if you get pregnant? How could we possibly finish this adventure if you're—."

She didn't need to bother in hearing the rest of his argument. "First off, look." Not bothering with subtleties, she slipped a long cord necklace out of her loosened tunic. On the end was a small pendent. "Pregnancy charm. Second, there's _no parental supervision _in the Divine Realms."

James stared at the exposed charm with glazed over eyes. At last he looked up at her. "Romeli, I want you." He drew a shaky breath. "I want you so bad it _hurts. _But not like this. A landscape of dry grass and supposed hillmen is hardly the place for making love. We have to wait until the time is right, whenever and whereever that may be."

"And what if the right time is here and now?"

A small grin grew on his lips, and Romeli began to suspect that he was hiding something. "Trust me, it's not."

Against James' better judgment, Romeli laughed. "You're always so sure of yourself," she pointed out shaking her head. "I wish I had that."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little. "I wish I had your spontaneity."

"Can you help tie me up?" she asked him, twisting around to reveal a half exposed back. "Only the Gods know how I untied it in the first place."

Seeing her skin didn't necessarily help with grasping his bearings, but he obliged anyways, fastening her tunic together with shaking hands. When he was finished getting dressed, they packed up and moved on, leaving the shaggy hill and its sexual conversations behind them.

OOO

After hours of further traveling, the sun gave way to the moon, casting a magnificent array of constellations across the sky. With the night settling in, they decided to set up camp. Thankfully, the hills were beginning to ebb away, revealing a flat and barren land in its wake. Without hills, the dry grass seemed coarser, the land felt meaner, and the realm looked bigger. Nonetheless, they were grateful for the slight change of scenery.

Their feet hurt almost as much as the sexual tension, making their nightly preparation a lot more awkward and exhausting than anticipated. Romeli set up the bedrolls while James worked on kindling a fire. Of course, this served to be rather difficult seeing as there was no tree, branch, or twig in sight. He looked upon Romeli's job with envy.

"Wanna switch?"

She looked up at him with raised brows, one bedroll already half unpacked. "Um, sure?"

They swapped roles with impressive speed. It was only when James had one bedroll out that Romeli realized the reason for their occupational trade. Fortunately for her, this wasn't a problem.

With a smirk, she settled herself on the ground and closed her eyes. Vision cleared, her other senses kicked in. James and the bedrolls rustled to the left. The coarse grass tickled her ankles. Neither of these sensations were important, however. Romeli was digging for a different sense.

Growing trees where they should not is, to be frank, moderately to incredibly impossible. But to Romeli, impossibilities were dares, and dares were meant to be challenged. She exhaled deeply, letting her plant magic sink into the ground beneath her. After an assembling of plant magic, Romeli sensed the beginning of a new life pitted in the ground—a seed. If she left the seed to its design, it would either embrace or reject its surroundings. Fortunately, plant magic gave her the ability to speed up and assist the process.

The whole phenomenon took ten minutes. James, knowing that once again Romeli was off doing something mystic (that hopefully involved making a fire), left her alone. Instead of crowding her, he unsheathed his sword and maneuvered through a few exercises. Knighthood abandonment was no excuse to completely let go of one's physique.

When something began to sprout next to her however, he forgot about his sword completely. The tree grew rapidly, branching out and thickening by the second. Captivated, he sat down on his bedroll and watched, feeling like years of growth were passing before his very eyes.

Romeli stood up, her face slightly ashen. Despite her drained stamina, she was beaming. Right beside her stood an Ash tree that looked just as aged and wise as its surroundings.

It is important to note, that against all odds, an Ash tree had been grown into existence in the middle of a barren land by a green haired, sixteen year-old girl. Now since this is not a habitual orientation for an Ash tree, it was quite surprised, and to say the least, confused. These were its first thoughts:

_Ahhhh, wow. Look at these leaves! Look at this grass! Look at my trunk! Wait, trunk? What do I mean by trunk? Trunk, bunk, flunk, dunk, junk...words! All of these words, whooshing past my head like...like a—a breeze! Skis, jeeze, fleas, peas, keys...all of these words! What to do they mean? Why do they sound so similar...almost like they rhyme! I feel like I could somehow compose an occupation with these words. Something flashy sounding...like...poet! Yes, poet! Yay, this is exciting! I'm dizzy with—. _

Curiously, the only thing that went through Romeli's head, though she could easily understand all of the Ash tree's enthusiastic thoughts, was..._firewood. _

"Want me to chop some branches down?" James was already loosening his small axe from the rest of his trusty weaponry belt.

"What? Ow..._no!_" Romeli had turned rigid, staring at James' weapon of choice with wide eyes. It took a couple of moments after her initial freak out to calm down. "I mean...no. I'm connected to this tree, almost like it's actually me. I can control it, hear its thoughts, feel it's pain..."

James didn't need a further explanation. He stared at his axe with horror before quickly fastening it to his belt again. "Well what should we do then? We can't just let it on fire."

Staring at the newcomer tree, Romeli felt helpless. She looked at James sheepishly. "Well, it does make a good centerpiece, doesn't it?"

Indeed, the Ash tree was the perfect ornament for a traveling party of two. It's large fan of branches was supplied with fine blankets of leaves, casting a calm atmosphere on its makeshift campground. The trunk was thick—ideal for both recreational and competitive tree climbing.

Despite the tree's aesthetic nature, Romeli had to put its branches to better use. So with a deep inhalation, Romeli collected her wits and wisdom, throwing them into a better purpose than foliage admiration.

Using plant magic here wouldn't be much use. She could kill the tree, even mangle its branches until they fell off, but the act of draining its life away would in turn torment her. The tree was a tree, not a mage bent on her destruction—she couldn't take its life away.

Of course there was one last option, which had turned into a solution for everything lately: Golden Magic. Its purpose unpredictable, and its outcomes even more so, Romeli was unsure whether using it now would even be safe. The last time she had used Golden Magic offensively was back when she dueled against ten black robed mages months ago. Her super power had drained two mages to nothing but skin and bones. With the image forever burned into her memory, Romeli had sworn to never use Golden Magic for aggressive purposes until she could control it properly.

Now she was about to break that pledge.

She looked back at James. "Can you step back, I dunno, like a hundred feet?"

He looked at her oddly. "What? Why?"

Romeli rubbed her hands together, already feeling the power itch in her soul. She would only need a small amount of magic, but the temptation to use more churned all the same. Thankfully her father and years of training had taught her the self discipline to control and extract reasonable amounts of power. Then again, this was Golden Magic, and she was far from mastering even a fraction of its supposed. potential.

"Because I'm going to try something, and I don't know what's going to happen," she told him sternly.

James took the hint. "All right. Just don't do anything...stupid."

I'll try, she thought grimly, staring at the Ash tree's array of tangled branches. When she stole a second glance back, James was jogging away, naked sword in his hand. At least he would be occupied with practicing instead of watching her. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Golden Magic is a funny thing, really. The most diverse and powerful magic in the cosmos, its abilities are just as infinite as they are limited, just as manageable as they are irrepressible, just as physical as they are psychological.

In the Mortal Realm, her ability was legendary. Here, it was a necessity. The unique balance stored within her was more than just her soul, it was...well...whatever she wanted it to be. A weapon, a tool, a shield, a miracle. The question was whether or not she could control it—whether or not she could outsmart its one and only catch: its design could not touch the world's foreign materials that it itself was not made of. If her purpose did not involve manipulating the Gift or nature, her power was obsolete.

Of course, that wouldn't be much of a problem in this situation. A tree was a plant, and a plant was a part of who she was. With closed eyes, Romeli began to picture the end result of her experiment, a technique her Guardian's had taught her before her latest ordeal. She summoned her Golden Magic, an accumulation of all three of her powers, and sent it towards the tree.

Her target didn't fight her will power. In fact, the tree completely gave in to her devices, letting the magic shoot into its roots and maneuver its way through its branches. More surprising than her newfound plant manipulation was the fact that it didn't _hurt. _Trees were a particularly stubborn folk, calling for aggressive doses of both plant magic and persistence. This time, she required neither.

The necessary amount of branches folded in and fell from the tree, as if it were merely shedding. Her eyes opened to the sight of fresh timber, waiting to be burned. All self control was lost, and she shot a victory fist into the air.

No one exploded!

Her fire preparation was executed with a dance in her step. When she zapped a spark of Gift, enlightening the wood, her face lit up as well. Under normal circumstances, lighting a fire was hardly a celebratory feat. But normally circumstances did not call for impromptu Golden Magic experimentation. Even more of an accomplishment was the fact that she succeeded.

Perhaps it was just the healthy glow of the fire, but the Divine Realm seemed much less intimidating now.

"Hey," James greeted from behind. His breath was only slightly shaken from his previous workout. "Nice fire."

She admired it proudly. "Thanks. Hopefully tomorrow night we'll be near some real firewood. Golden Magic is exhausting." Indeed, her newly learned life force stunt had left her drained, albeit excited.

"Should we put up some warding charms? Just to be safe?" James asked, looking at their camp.

The fire cast jagged shadows on their surroundings, that not even the moon could illuminate. Beyond them was only darkness, housing lurking sensations and creatures more menacing in nature than their daytime siblings.

Unable to help her newfound fear, she gulped. "Definitely."

"I can do it if you want," he offered. "You look tired."

She sniffed, the weight of fatigue beginning to settle in at his words. "Thanks."

While James circled around their tree oriented sanctuary, Romeli rummaged through her pack in search of a loose shirt and breeches. After unbuckling her weapons belt and slipping off the rest of her concealed daggers, she took off her tunic. At first, she was slightly self conscious of James' close proximity to her bare skin, but the sensation faded easily. Her breast band still covered her anyways. If they were soul mates, as her Guardians insisted they were, the idea of privacy wouldn't matter—_shouldn't _matter.

She got dressed easily, pulling on a comfortable shirt and pair of breeches with ease. Content with her chosen nighttime attire, she opened up her bedroll and slid inside. James stole a glance at her, flashing a lopsided grin as he circled their camp one last time, his hands shimmering with dark green magic.

Finished, he walked over to his bedroll and slipped off his own tunic, exposing the rippling muscles of his torso. Her eyes slightly widened as she stared, her heart kicking in at a faster tempo. He got into his own bedroll across from her, not bothering with a shirt.

It was going to be a night of sexual tension, wasn't it.

Deciding that staring would just prompt questions she didn't feel like answering, she turned on her back and stared up at the stars. They did little to cool her heated body, but at least the sight distracted her for a little while. James admired the constellations as well, allowing the two of them to wonder in silence for a while.

That didn't last long.

Romeli turned on her side again, tucking her hands in between her head and bedroll. She stared at James with glowing eyes. "I have so many questions, my mind wanders."

He gave her a soft smile. "Perhaps we should feed your mind a turkey sandwich and let it curl up in the sun for a nice long nap."

"A turkey sandwich sounds appetizing," she mused. "But I think I'd rather take a bite out of my true identity instead."

"That hardly seems like a restful meal," he pointed out.

"Then I suppose it's appropriate cuisine for our adventure," she pointed out thoughtfully, a faint smile on her lips as she stared at him. The fire burning cast warm shadows on his face. "I doubt we'll be sleeping much."

OOO

The next day brought with it a bright sun and barren land. Romeli woke up, surprised by how different the atmospheres of night and day felt in the Divine Realm. Or perhaps it was the unfamiliarity of the land that kept them on edge.

They ate breakfast silently, both swallowed up in their own thoughts for a time. Ironically their thoughts were exactly the same: I wish I had Bowhead Whale waffles and a tall glass of orange juice.

Shill's fine food selections would not be coming to the rescue, and the two settled on a dry breakfast of fruit, nuts, and canteens of water.

After their short meal, they packed up, bumping into each other only a few times in the process. Their packing process was hastened from the get go. Romeli wanted to get away from the barren and flat land ahead of them as soon as possible. Something about it was off.

It just didn't feel right.

So they set off, heading in one direction or another. Neither of them knew where they were going. They hardly even knew where they had just come from. The only land mark that notified their surroundings of their coming and going was the conspicuous tree, standing in the middle of the prairie land.

They had been walking for around an hour, filling the time with mindless chatter and thoughtful silence. Just when they were starting to shake out of their morning blurriness, Romeli stopped short, her eyes widened.

She knew the land felt odd. The hair prickling on the back of her neck was a justification of that. It wasn't until now that she realized why.

"James." She said his name slowly, staring ahead of them with a hand on one of her many daggers.

He glanced at her worriedly. "I feel it too."

"It's silent. The whole land is completely...quiet." For once she was at awe. There were no birds chirping, no flowing streams, not even a slight breeze. But that was only half of Romeli's cause for nervousness. "I can't hear _anything. _Not even in my head. The grass is...mute."

"I would say that's a good thing," he started, looking in the same direction she was. "But I have a feeling it's not."

Right on cue, a rumble shook through the ground. In the distance, no more than a mile a way, a cloud of dust was kicked up in the air. Every second the cloud grew bigger, closing in on their location.

Finally, the cause of the prairie's uprising came into view, though Romeli immediately regretted her curiosity. With a clenched jaw, she ignited her Gift, letting it burn brightly in both of her palms. Technically, if she could fight off a crowd of black robed mages, she could defeat a herd of stampeding immortals.

But then why was she so nervous?

James took a deep breath, unsheathing his sword as he did so. He held it out in front of him, the sun glinting off his pointed blade.

* * *

CLIFFHANGER!!! WOOOOOOO.

This next chapter is absolutely hilarious. And on another note, I really must apologize for the slow update. I've had this chapter written for like a month, I've just had no time to update. Sad, isn't it.

However, against the force of college duties and time consuming classes, I assure you that I will not stop updating this story. If I got through The Guardian, I can certainly complete this one as well. I apologize for my untimely updates in the meantime.

Replies:

LittleMissGiggles'94': It had been too long hasn't it. I'm so glad that you're feelin' the new characters. Though I think that hating Shill is simply not possible.

Lady-Star-Shaddow: Thank you Star! The action is definitely picking up now as well. We're only in the beginning (obviously) of what I have in store.

Saphiria: Oh. Don't even fret dear saphiria. Much trouble is on the way. In fact, there will be so much trouble, that I wont even know what to do with myself. I may just die. It's very possible. Even probable. Thanks so much for the review! A true motivation.

Grace: alas! It's grace!! Oh yes. Whale waffles. Looking back on it, I really don't know what it is that went through my head to spur that idea. A mystery, I suppose. Shill should return at some point. I hope. They are bound to meet many gods of equivalent boldness. Okay. The green hair idea? So strange. I kind of like it haha. What a prank. Also, there is some fluff for ya in this chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed it. It was full of tension and hotness. Thanks for the review! Love ya!


	5. Immortal Combat

I suppose it's time to resolve our previously heart throbbingly suspenseful cliffhanger. Though I think we all know that I've written worse.

Much much much much worse. Definitely a lot worse. Like...on a scale of one through ten, this is a lot less worse.

**Song for this Chapter: **For the Widows in paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti – Sufjan Stevens. A beautiful and emotional, yet frustratingly passionate song.

**And also a special thanks to my Beta, Dares to Dream. Round of applause everyone. **

* * *

Chapter 5: Immortal Combat

* * *

_In the last chapter..._

_Romeli and James start their adventure. Then...all of a sudden...they see something in the distance!!!!! AHHHH!_

* * *

"James?" His name shakily escaped her lips as she stared at the stampeding herd of immortals running at them.

"...yes?"

It was slightly comforting to know that James' voice also lacked its usual steadiness. She shifted her eyes in his direction and then back at their threat again. "Why am I scared?"

He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. "Maybe because we're outnumbered." After a moment's pause he reassessed the charging group's nearing silhouette. "By a lot."

Romeli was about to remind him that that had never stopped her before, but she couldn't find her voice. For some reason black robed mages seemed much less intimidating to her than a furious pack of bloodthirsty immortals. Maybe it was because unlike immortals, she was experienced when it came to fighting mages.

She spoke again through a clenched jaw. "Have you ever fought an immortal before?"

His eyes remained rooted on their threat. By now the herd was close enough to decipher. "A few times, yeah."

"Is—is there some sort of technique? Strategy? What are we going to do?"

A flash of fear shone through his eyes. "I need you to do a big favor for me."

Her heart started pounding at his words. "I guess...sure."

"Kill the tauros. Whatever it takes."

Romeli wasn't an idiot, and the second she heard the name her eyes widened. It would be impossible to forget all the horror stories she had read in Numair's numerous books and lexicons. The tauros was a woman's worst nightmare, and rarely any of them survived the hulking beast's merciless attacks.

Surprisingly, the intensified threat kicked in her adrenaline, which in turn snapped her usual boldness into gear. This wasn't a perilous turn of fate, this was a challenge.

Against better judgment, she grinned. "I bet I can kill more tauros than you."

His eyes snapped in her direction. The ground was shaking beneath them as the thunderous hooves grew nearer. "_What? _Romeli, this isn't a time for _games. _We could die!"

Her brassy enthusiasm had taken the reigns, and there was no stopping her now. She laughed. "Oh come on! It'll be fun. Each tauros is a point. Whoever has the most points by the end of the battle doesn't have to cook dinner."

James shook his head in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Ironically, I take my recklessness very seriously," she countered, watching the herd of tauros speed towards them. They were no more than ten seconds away. "Besides, I'm just following Shill's advice."

"You're not following his advice, you're transforming it," he chided. "You can't actively enjoy life while trying to survive it. That's against the rules."

"James," she said shortly, bringing both of her glowing palms out in front of her. "There are no rules in the Divine Realms." Romeli not only finished the argument, but she finished off a few tauros as well. With a blast of bright magic, the whole first line of immortals exploded, bursting into flames.

"Hey! That's no fair! You can't get a head start!"

"Sure I can," she started, sidestepping a charging tauros before spinning a dagger straight into his forehead. "They're coming after me, not you."

Sure enough, the tauros did not even pay attention to James. Instead, they turned towards a more feminine subject. Romeli backed up as quickly as she could, ducking and dodging kicks and swipes from her multiple offenders. She was scared, but the feeling was numbed by her racing heart and the newly invented tauros-point system. There were too many attacking her at once, and she couldn't throw in an offensive attack of her own. Too much focus was used up on defending herself to try a hand at magic.

Thankfully James came to her rescue. He intercepted a slice from a tauros' battle axe with his own blade, stepping in between him and his prey. The block gave Romeli just enough time to consume the beast in flame.

"That one counts as mine," James growled, cutting down a second tauros. He turned around just in time to run another one through with his blade.

"You can have him," she replied, kneeing a towering tauros in the groin. The beast roared in pain, but his cries were cut off short. Romeli had sliced his neck with a dagger and he fell the the ground with a large thump. "I'm in the lead anyways."

"Not for long," James muttered, dueling with another axe-laden tauros.

Perhaps it was a little sick and odd that they were somewhat enjoying the violent get together. The tauros, lacking in both intelligence and decent weaponry skills, were not much of a fight. The true threat came in their numbers, not their brawn. One misjudged dodge, and either of them were tauros dinner. Thankfully, Romeli and James knew better than to let meal potentiality get into their heads. They fought with an anti-edible vengeance that was incomparable to most if not all of their prairie land surroundings.

A part of Romeli regretted ever complaining about their currently barren setting. Of course, that part was a rather small one, and she embraced the tauros raid for what it was: an untimely workout specializing in hoofed creature defense and an unfortunate lack of forewarning.

The tauros, who were rather unhappy with how this whole get-the-girl scheme was unfolding, decided it would be best to exchange reason for instinct anyway. This of course led to a new wave of attacks, despite their now moronically depleted population.

"They're like zombies!" Romeli shouted over the clatter of metal. She sliced a tauros down the middle with one of her daggers. "They just. Won't. Die." Her last word was exhaled with a grunt as she dipped under a slashing blade, narrowly escaping its sharp edge.

"Can't you just blow them all up with your Golden Magic or something?!" Their backs were pressed together now as they fought, but James still had to yell over the clamor of tauros weaponry.

"Like that would do much good!" She reminded him, attempting to kick down a particularly tall tauros. The act was comedic. He didn't even budge. "We'd be better off if I just destroyed them with my Gift!"

If a surprised freeze on James' part wouldn't mean a serious maiming, he would have. Instead his overflow of shock was released through a particularly aggressive slice at another attacker.

"_What?! _Then for Mithros' sake, _blow them up!_"

"Aw, come on James, where's the fun in that?"

"You're starting to sound a lot like Shill!"

"Thank you!"

He cut down another tauros and kicked his falling body out of the way with a grunt. "That wasn't a compliment. But...you're welcome." He took advantage of his temporary pause and wiped his bangs away from his sweating brow.

Speaking of perspiration, both of them were starting to feel the heat now, but the tauros were still holding up with their strong bodies and even stronger numbers. Game-wise this would have been a good thing—the more points the better, really. Then again, the high of improvised tauros bashing was begging to ebb, leaving a less exhilarating If-I-Don't-Kill-The-Tauros-I-Am-So-Toast attitude.

Neither of them felt like taking the form of crispy bread slices. Suddenly blowing up everything looked a lot more tempting.

The thought of an easy victory let a tauros easily win his victory over Romeli. She was knocked to the ground so hard that her lungs were left winded.

The tauros bent over his prey. For a brief second, a flash of fear swept through her. James was too far away to see her fall. Normally she would beam at the idea of a self rescue, but the tauros had her pinned, both mentally and physically. Even the toughest of womanly warriors were at risk of being victimized by a tauros' excessive testosterone. She was no exception.

So, with a full intake of regained air and a diaphragm of steel, Romeli screamed.

James' head whipped around and his eyes widened. He finished his opponent before quickly sprinting the few strides to her side. He lunged at the tauros, tackling it over. There was no hesitation in his movements when he slid his blade across the monster's throat.

Romeli sat up and stared at the brief duel before her. To say the least, she was impressed with James' fearless swordsmanship. Being saved was a rare event in Romeli's adventure-timeline, and despite the current danger surrounding the both of them, she was a little turned on.

Okay. Romeli. This is _not _the time for voluptuous...erotic...diddle daddle!

Her hormones would have nothing of her reason, and she had to steal a glance at James' flexed biceps before she could get to her feet again.

Coincidentally, it was Romeli's arm muscle admiration that saved James' life—or at least one or two of his hands. An uncharacteristically sneaky tauros crept behind him, bracing his battle axe above his head. In seconds the blade would fall straight down on James' preoccupied ligaments.

Romeli was tempted to scream, but she found a better use for the seconds racing towards the inevitable impact. With a flash of light, she threw her energy at the tauros. It wasn't until her eyes cleared of their temporary blindness that she could comprehend her ad-lib rescue sequence.

The flash of energy was not a sequence at all, but a replacement. Romeli stared in horror as she gazed at the tauros' hands. Instead of a heavy axe, he now held a frothing vanilla milkshake.

Her left eye twitched. "_WHAT?!_" She could not just let this one go. With wide eyes and an even wider mouth, she scrambled to her feet and ran towards the tauros, her gaze demanding. "_Where_ did you get that milkshake!" There was no question in her tone. It was an outright demand.

The newly appointed milkshake carrier stepped back uneasily. Unable to form a coherent sentence that did not include various grunts, snorts, and snarls, he decided it would be best to run for it. He did so promptly, sprinting away on two awkward horse legs.

"You get back here _right now!" _She yelled, chasing after him.

James would have been angry at her for her sudden tauros-fighting abandonment, but the remaining herd had no interest in fighting when they could be observing a violent vanilla milkshake takedown instead.

She sprinted after the tauros, arms pumping hard to achieve maximum speed. Her legs could not compare to her opponent's own stamina. It wasn't long before the fleeing creature's distance began to creep away. She was starting to lose sight of his retreating back.

Suddenly, events and observations played out like the suspenseful action novels she had read back in Corus! There was a rumble behind her, and she stole a glance back to see where the noise was coming from! The herd was in stampeding position again, and they were charging straight at her! Behind the dust of kicked up dirt, James was running towards her, his arms flailing crazily as he tried to warn her! Sometime between the initial milkshake materialization and instinctive goose chase, the remaining tauros found it a good idea to join in!!!!

Romeli was not pleased with their newfound participation, and she turned her head back around, running harder. By now the escaping tauros was too far away to catch up with. The current milkshake owner seemed to realize this, and began to slow his gallop to a modest victory walk.

Then again, the tauros hadn't considered who he was running away from. Seeing that considerations weren't exactly tauros nature, his thick-headedness was justified. However, Romeli was never one for excuses. When she saw a vanilla milkshake, there was no stopping her. Especially if said vanilla milkshake had been mysteriously conjured by her own hand.

With a final effort, she threw out a blast of her Gift and sent it rocketing down the field and towards the tauros. Her attack had been executed at a sprint, but it did nothing to joggle her aim. The fire slammed into the tauros, hitting him square in the back before he stumbled to the ground.

Stampeding herd of remaining tauros completely forgotten, Romeli closed the distance between her and her catch. When she finally arrived at the tauros' hulking body, she had to catch her breath for a couple of moments before doing a little victory jig of her own.

Set innocently on the prairie ground was a cool glass, filled with a vanilla flavored milkshake. She stared at it for a moment before gingerly picking it up and thrusting it into the air with a wide grin!

"_YES!" _Her cry of achievement echoed across the barren land surrounding her. Of course, the exhilarating sensation of supremacy was immediately vanquished as reality crashed down and slammed into her like a raging stampede.

Reality wasn't the only thing furiously charging in her direction, however. A herd of ten or so more tauros galloped towards her, more interested in female flesh than delightful dairy desserts. James was still behind the whole party, sprinting to catch up.

Romeli weighed out her priorities. Deciding that vanilla milkshakes were too delicious to sacrifice for assured self-preservation, she scooped up the glass and took a hearty swig. Evidently, the milkshake's creamy texture gave her the motivation to unsheathe another one of her daggers and face the tauros crowd head on—and one handed.

For the second time that day, the tauros hit, colliding with Romeli's dagger. Romeli dodged what attacks she could, balancing a skilled dagger in one hand and a milkshake in the other. With both of her hands occupied, magic was pretty much out of the question. Tangible attacks from her Gift required her hands, and she was in no mood to prove Carthak University's various studies wrong. With only one hand and its accompanying petite weapon as her defense, she was not surprised to acquire a few cuts and bumps where a lucky tauros would find an entry past her guard.

It wasn't much of a problem. James was back in the fight again after finally catching up from the sporadic milkshake parade. He dove into the middle and situated himself next to Romeli, fending off the remaining tauros with his own blade.

"James!" she greeted enthusiastically, slicing a tauros across the chest. "You _have_ to try this!" Taking advantage of a brief moment of inaction on her side, she stole another swig from the drink.

"What? _Why? _Why do you even have that!" James had peeked a glance at her beverage of choice in between his various blocks and attacks. His brows were knit in confusion as he questioned her.

"James, this is a _milkshake!_" Her tone of voice practically had him convinced that the drink was somehow a rare phenomenon. "Just try it!" She cut down another tauros before handing him the glass.

When his lips touched the frothy drink, he immediately realized what all the fuss was about. "This is the best thing I've ever ingested!"

"I _know!" _She agreed, a wide grin on her face. "It's better than anything I've ever eaten, ever!"

"How did it even appear?"

Apparently that would be the ultimate question. Romeli was no closer to finding out the milkshake mystery than she had been before the havoc-wreaking glitter cloud. "I don't know!" she confessed, yelling over the battle in front of them. "The last time I conjured a milkshake was when I killed Maggur!" There was a brief pause. "I mean..._almost _killed him."

Neither of them needed reminding that Maggur, against popular belief, was very much alive.

Only two tauros remained. There was a brief pause as James and Romeli stared at their remaining opponents. Despite the tauros' obvious loss, neither of them felt like bolting for it.

This startled Romeli, and when she looked up into the eyes of her surprise attackers, their gazes were crazed and furious. Normally this hostile behavior would give any challenger the perfect excuse to finish off the enemy—all for the sake of self defense. Instead, Romeli found her blade lowering to her side, her eyes caught.

One of the tauros took advantage of her hesitance and brought up his blade for a powerful blow. She stared at the tip of his blade with a crease in her brow, watching it plummet towards her with miraculous strength. Despite her quickening heart warning her of the incoming danger, she didn't bother stepping out of the way.

"Romeli!" James yelled, looking at her with wide eyes. The scene played before him in slow motion as he froze, waiting for Romeli to do _something. _She stared at the blade coming down on her, her own weapon at her side. When he was convinced that she was doing absolutely nothing to stop the attack, he dove desperately, barely intercepting the blade with his own sword before falling to the ground in between them.

He jumped to his feet quickly, planting himself between the tauros and Romeli with an angry glare. The two blades crashed together for a second time as he fought the beast off. "Romeli, _what are you doing?!" _

She shook her head slowly, backing up from the fight with a confused expression. "I'm sorry...I couldn't..."

James wiped the sweat off his brow before delivering the fatal blow that sent the tauros to the ground. Only one remained now, and he fought that one of too, blocking each attack the tauros delivered skillfully before it too came to the same demise. "You could have _died!" _He told her as he gave the two tauros a final look. When he turned around, his emerald eyes were blazing.

She bit the inside of her cheek guility. "I know, but I couldn't just _kill _him."

He looked at her incredulously. "Says the girl who invented the tauros slaughtering game."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time!" she snapped, more furious with herself than anything else. With a sigh, she sheathed her dagger. "When we were attacking the whole herd, I thought that maybe we wouldn't be able to take them." She ignored James' scoff. "But when there were only two left...they didn't stand a chance, and they fought anyways!"

"Yeah, because they wanted to get you, Romeli," he told her dryly.

"Exactly! They can't help who they are. They were born with the need to attack women. It's not their fault." Her expression lightened up a bit. For a while even she did not know why she lowered her blade, but now it all made sense.

"So you exchanged your life for theirs? Romeli, they're _monsters!_"

"Monsters in relation to what, James? A _daffodil? _We have no right to determine what's right or wrong here. This is immortal territory, and they're just trying to live their lives. It's our fault that we came into their land, and _they _had to pay the price." She motioned to the sprawled bodies of tauros laying around them. A bit of bile rose in her throat as she stared at their mangled legs and arms, some of them still clutching their weapons.

James clenched and unclenched his jaw. "I guess I understand what you're saying," he answered with difficulty. There was a look of conflict on his face. From the darkened gleam in his eyes, she could tell that his own opinion would not budge anytime soon.

Well neither would hers.

"They couldn't fight their instincts," she said quietly, looking down at the coarse ground.

"What I _don't_ understand," he started slowly, "is why you lowered your blade. Did you think that killing yourself would somehow prove a point? What good would there be in this realm if you _did _keep that tauros alive?"

"At least my conscious would be clear," she replied dangerously, her own patience growing thin.

James laughed blackly. "Right. And all the other tauros you slaughtered mean absolutely nothing then."

Romeli shook her head slowly. "No, it's different."

"_Different? _Revelation or no, those tauros are dead. And you could have been dead too."

Romeli's anger began to boil. She felt her veins turn hot under her skin. "I would _not _have died. If I can survive an arrow through the heart, than I'm sure I can survive a tauros' blade."

That struck a chord. James looked at her, his eyes pained. "You didn't _survive _the arrow, Romeli! Besides! We're talking a sword through your _skull!_"

She knew she had hurt him. The event of her supposed death had been hard on both of them. The ordeal had been the ultimate test of their relationship. Their friendship had survived, but barely.

Even though their closeness had bloomed into something more, the memory had never settled well with either of them.

"Still," she started slowly. "I couldn't kill him." It took some effort to keep her voice steady. She had to vent her anger out through her clenched fists.

He let out a heavy breath through his nostrils, letting his muscles relax a little. "You didn't have to kill him," he told her, his voice low with suppressed rage. "You could have...I don't know...stunned him, blocked him, turned his sword into a _milkshake!_ Anything!"

Romeli looked down at the said beverage, her mouth watering slightly. With a blank face, she took a sip, savoring its cool temperature. Not even James' anger could water down its creamy flavor.

"I could have," she whispered, staring at the glass' contents.

"Well then why didn't you?!"

"Maybe because sometimes I can't think of transforming tauros weaponry into dairy products when I'm in a state of shock!" she yelled back. Finally her irritation had gotten the best of her.

"Romeli, you are the _master _of instinctive defense! You can't honestly think that you can't save yourself from a tauros! Not after everything you've been through!"

"Hah! Maybe that '_everything you've been through' _that you speak of didn't happen while I was going through a world renowned revelation!"

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"That the tauros didn't have any other choice!"

James threw his arms in the air.

The two stood in silence for a while, both fuming as their eyes averted the others. Romeli fumbled with the milkshake glass uneasily, wishing that for once James could understand her point of view.

Ironically, James was wishing the same thing of her.

Eventually the silence turned to arduous torture, and neither of them could stand the thick tension that had settled upon them.

"Look. James. I'm sorry." Romeli's voice came out weaker than she anticipated. "I should have—."

Without warning, James' lips crushed into hers. She froze for a moment, surprised by his sudden move, but eventually gave in to his fierceness. His lips moved against hers earnestly, leaving her breathless. When she tried to snake her hands around him, she couldn't. His arms had her in a bear trap, and there was no escaping his hold until he said so.

When their lips parted, he leaned his forehead against hers, his warm breath on her cheeks. They kept their eyes closed, not bothering with introducing new senses to the moment. His arms around her, the touch of their close bodies, was enough.

Romeli's insides were on fire. Perhaps because she felt guilty, or maybe it was the sensation of the intimate moment in his arms.

She shouldn't have let her shock get a hold of her like that. Of course she knew better. But at that moment in time, killing a tauros seemed like the most inhumane act imaginable, despite all the others she had defeated beforehand. It was stupid to turn soft like that.

But she had. There was no helping it. And she wasn't truly sorry for what she did either. The only reason she felt guilty was because James was mad at her.

Above anything else, she _hated _when James was upset. It made her feel horrible. About anything. About everything.

James let out another heavy sigh before kissing her forehead and meeting her gaze again.

"If I had it my way," he started, voice low and serious. "I would make sure you never risked your life over anything."

Romeli scoffed at that.

His lips grew into a wry smile. "But obviously I can't. You and near death experiences are practically a package deal."

She couldn't really deny that.

"And despite your...inopportune mortality rate...I _can not _function without you," he continued, his green eyes growing pained with each word. "If you died, I don't know what I would do."

Romeli met his eyes carefully. "I'm not afraid to die."

He laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I know that. From first hand experience, actually. But there is a big difference between fear or your own death and fear of someone else's."

"So...what are you trying to say? That I can't put myself in danger anymore? That I can't fight for what I believe in? Because you're afraid that I'll die?"

"Romeli, let's look at that question for a second," he started, shaking his head. "You. In. Danger. Is. Like. A. Fish. In. Water. There is no separating you two! Unless I wanted to eat you, which would never happen!"

Her eye's narrowed. "So you're just going to let me go then."

"Do I really have much of a _choice?_" he whispered, tracing a finger along her cheek. "I _have _to let you go. I just hope you have the capability to watch after yourself."

"Of course I do," she snapped, wrapping her hand around his finger, intertwining it with her own.

After a moment her expression softened and she sighed. "Then again, maybe the reason we're together is because I don't—at least not all the time. I _do _need you. To protect me when I can't...whether it's from myself or someone else. Maybe I could take care of myself before, but the picture is getting too big. The stakes are higher, the dangers are larger, and I can't handle it all by myself."

James exhaled a shaky breath, his own eyes softening to hers. "Thank you." He cupped her cheek in his hand and brought his lips to hers again, his lips softer than the last kiss.

She couldn't help but smile into the kiss, promptly ruining it. "Um...you're welcome?"

"I was just worried you didn't need me anymore."

Her left eye twitched. "In case you haven't noticed, I am _in love _with you. You and your, tauros slaughtering, metaphorical fish analogy, and over-concerned milkshake...something...self."

The corner of his mouth turned up into his famous crooked grin before it descended again into another serious expression. "I need you to do a favor for me."

Suspicion. "...What."

"If the time ever comes...again...when you need to decide between your life and another's, choose your own. Even if it's a tauros. Even if it's me."

Romeli's eyes bulged. "_What?!" _

James ignored her repetitive wording that had crescendoed in volume. "After all this, you still value a tauros' life over your own?" He was unamused.

"Tauros? _No! _James, I don't _care _about the tauros!" To prove a point, she decided it would be a good idea to kick the subject matter's sturdy horns. "I care about _you!_ There is no way I am going to let you die. The thought is just...I can't even...you dying is like—_gah!_" She threw her arms in the air. "Come on. Let's go before I...explode or something."

She walked away, wandering off in what she hoped was the right direction, fuming. James stood for a moment longer, laughing at the irony of the situation, before trailing a safe distance behind her.

"CRAP!"

Romeli immediately turned on her heels and bound towards him again.

His brows furrowed. "What is it?"

"I need to grab my daggers...that are still embedded in what used to be a tauros herd."

Right when she was about to walk past him, he grabbed her elbow and turned her towards him again. She gave him a questioningly look before he reached into his tunic and pulled out a dagger, and then another, and then another...and then another. There were still traces of blood on the weapons' metallic blades.

She took them quietly and sheathed them securely on her belt again. Her eyes were narrowed when she met his, but she sacrificed pride for thanks and gave him a quick hug. "I'm still mad at you," she muttered. "But I have no idea what I would do without you."

Before he could muster up an adequate reply again, she was on the move, making her way across the barren field again.

"Likewise," he murmured under his breath. With a sigh, he followed her, wondering how this day had become so twisted in the first place.

* * *

Well I must say that this is my favorite chapter to date. I'm working on the next one now, and let me tell you, I'm in a bit of a block. In fact, I've been in the same block for a couple months now.

To be honest, I need a little push of encouragement. A review would be just the remedy to my writing slump. :) Each one means so much to me.

Replies:

itchaihater13: lol. James is quite the gentleman, I must say. And even better, he knows how to control those hormones (most of the time). As for Romeli, well, there's no hope left for her.

A matter of love and fantasy: hey! Thanks for reading! I try to make my updates quick, but I'm in a bit of a slump. I just need to get into the groove of writing again, I guess. Right now my life is dominated by school. It's terrible.

Grace: GRACE!!!!! :D thanks for reading, once again. I do enjoy each and every one of your reviews. Haha. I know, there's some momentum in the chapters now. A little adventure here and there, which is good. We can't have Romeli and James be sitting ducks, can we. Not even fluff can fix a horrible plot line. The adventure only moves up from here, I must say. Lol. Immortals stampede because stampeding is more fun than walking. :) of course. Haha.

LittleMissGiggles'94': cliffy cliffy cliffy. I suppose after reading so many chapters, you'd be expecting one by now, huh. Haha.

Odd. Aly. : yay!!! so glad you loved it! It's such a fun story to write. Albeit, it's very hard to write. Right now I can't even think! Ack. My brain. Need break from school. :) haha. I love that quote. It was one of my more impressive literary genius moments.

KEEP ON MOOSIN!!!!

AND REVIEW! PLEASE! I'M DYING HERE!

Moose


	6. Reason for Paranoia

Alas! The next chapter has arrived. It's been much awaited for, I must admit. Gods, I can't remember the last time I had such bad writer's block. And over a chapter that you would think would be easy for me to write! Great Jesuits.

Happy Holidays everyone. :)

Song for this Chapter: **Slumming It With Johnny → Say Anything.** I had writer's block with this chapter until I discovered this song. It really got me out of a rut, and ironically, it works perfectly.

* * *

Chapter 6: Reason for Paranoia

* * *

Two days had passed since the great tauros skirmish, and the minutes and hours that followed it were full of equilibrium. One should take the word equilibrium in stride however. Romeli and James' travels held no serenity. There was no balance, nor was there a motivation to make it so.

Romeli and James, for lack of a better word, were stuck.

The barren countryside unfolded enduringly in front of them, making no effort in pleasing its two travelers with an environment of more aesthetic nature. There were no trees or shrubs, no hills or boulders. Wretchedly coarse grass was their only accompaniment.

Of course, their surroundings were not their only companion. The tension from their tauros inspired argument had yet to be loosened. The skuffle was certainly not one of their worst, but its topic was definitely the largest. Mortality. Death. Neither of them could take those words easily anymore.

So two days of bored walking had transformed into two days of silence. They talked only when they had to, and usually only to murmur elementary sentences that went along the lines of: "I'm bored", "Hungry?", and of course the traditional "Are we there yet?"

Romeli trudged across the open plane, her feet sore and tired from another day's trekking. When she stole a glance a James, he also looked weary. Thankfully the sun was slipping away, casting their surroundings in various shadows. It gave them the perfect excuse to settle down for the night.

They did so quietly, exchanging awkward glances as they set up camp. When they finally slipped into their bedrolls, the eerie silence closed in. The planes were mute, and had been ever since they set foot on its flattened ground. Despite the shielding charms protecting them from whatever lurked beyond the warmth of their makeshift fire, neither could help but shiver uneasily. It felt like a storm was brewing that neither could shake away.

Little did they know that a low pressure system would soon settle in titled Hurricane Romeli.

OOO

In life, there is that rare moment where you wake up immediately. No groan of exhaustion, no bouts of denial, no glaring at the intrusive sun. You just open your eyes and sit up.

Romeli awoke in just this manner, scratching her head as she looked around her. Her eyes were alert and awake, a fact that troubled her deeply. Gifted with sharp instincts, Romeli had a knack for knowing when trouble was afoot. This was all very well, save for the fact that she had no idea whether this unease was the sign of true danger, or just the frustratingly barren planes before her.

After giving the land a good look-over, she concluded that this was just an overreaction. Nothing was in sight, save for her sleeping traveling companion. Staring at him now, a small pang hit her heart. Perhaps she wouldn't be so scared if she had someone to talk to. And it wasn't even like their mutual silence had any real reason behind it anyway. They had an argument. Big deal.

Despite James' current slumber, Romeli couldn't keep her mouth closed anymore. The eery atmosphere of the planes held as much blame as her need for human interaction.

"This is so stupid."

A groan escaped from her sleeping Divine Realm adventurer. James rubbed his bleary eyes tiredly before meeting her own awake gaze. His hair, ornamented with dew and dry grass, was rumpled to one side of his head. "What?"

"This is stupid," she repeated, eyes unmoving.

"What's stupid?" he inquired tiredly. The sun was only just starting to rise, which gave him at least ten more minutes of sleep. His biological clock remained at bay however. Despite how arbitrary this elementary conversation with Romeli was, it was the first real talk they'd had for a few days now.

That was enough to keep him awake.

Of course, his question brought fourth more of an answer than he had expected.

"What's _stupid? Everything _is stupid James!" she exclaimed, a new fire glowing in her previously hardened and dulled expression. "I mean look around us. There's nothing, absolutely nothing. Where the hell are we anyways? Prarie McBoringLand?"

James snorted.

She ignored his quiet outburst, letting herself rant off the pent up frustration built up over the past days. "It's the most ugly, useless, confusing, bland place in the universe! There is _nothing here. _But Tauros. And...and...confusing milkshake conjuring abilities! But do you know what the worst part is? It's not the yellow scratchy grass, or the smell of tauros flesh lodged in my nose, or the _huge _lack of foliage ornamentation, it's the stupid _stupid _silence!

"There's silence when we wake up. And silence when we get ready. And silence when we eat breakfast. And silence when we start walking, and walking, and walking, and walking. And then you'll say a half-witted joke, and I'll pretend that it's funny, which results in _more silence. _Until eventually it's night, and all we can manage to do is settle down, in silence, and take a stupid nap until it all starts again! It's a never ending cycle of mute incoherencies and incredibly distasteful shrubberies. If this is all that the Divine Realm is composed of, I swear to all that is holy..."

James sat up with a tired grunt, fully convinced that sleep would not come around again until the night. Despite his sadness for a good ten minutes of sleep now lost, he met her eyes head on. "There's no need to bring holy Gods and whatnot into this," he insisted, somewhat convinced after Shill's speech that badmouthing the divine would result in a wrathful thunder strike.

"Gods? _What _Gods?! _There's nothing here!" _She threw her arms in the air desperately as her voice carried across the land, leaving a much stronger echo than anticipated.

He winced, finding himself fearful of both Romeli's wrath and the Gods'.

"I hate this," she murmured, defeated. The steady strength in her complexion broke apart, and she slumped her head over her knees, letting the collapse have its way with her for a time.

James clenched his jaw, fighting back the twitch in the corner of his mouth that wanted to rebuttal a witty remark regarding her overdramatic disintegration. In lieu of chastisement, he embraced her hulking form, tracing the curve of her back with careful fingers.

At least she wasn't crying, that would have been strange.

He propped his chin on the nape of her neck, letting his hands wrap around her sides, gently caging her into the warm concave of his body. She gave into his movements, letting herself rest in his arms while the exhaustion ate her away.

They allowed time to pass for a little while, neither of them bothering with the rising sun, the unfinished business, or the day's trek to come. Essentially, the moment looked like a nice one. A silent moment. A healing moment. A moment full of quiet apologies and loud sensual sparks. But a perfect moment is an unrealistic one, and both of them found their minds reeling and wandering, looking for answers, but finding none.

"I don't understand," James mused aloud. The rumble in his chest woke Romeli up from her own reverie. "You've been through much worse than a few days wandering through dry fields. We _both _have. This should be simple, yet here we are—defeated."

Romeli felt foolish. The wave of shame washed over her like a thick faucet until it assembled in her stomach at a soft boil, slowly burning her insides. To be defeated by coarse grass and tauros-laden land was embarrassing. Of course she had been through worse. She had been through much _much _worse.

No one ever said that traveling through the Divine Realms would be easy. In fact, every God she'd met since she discovered this would be her next journey had warned her otherwise. Yet all this time she had remained unconvinced, _especially _when she arrived here.

What could possibly be so treacherous about small hills, accommodating sheep-Gods, and desolate prairie grounds? They weren't placed in a danger that neither of them could handle. They weren't under some sort of time constraint. They didn't even have a true destination! They were just _here. _Existing. Nothing could possibly be easier.

And yet Romeli could not pin point another time in her life when she was so confused, lost, defeated. At least during all the other moments of her life she had the adrenaline rush on her side. Now there was nothing.

Absolutely pathetic.

Maybe that was why this journey seemed so much more difficult. This time she didn't know what was coming for her. This time there were no clues, no familiarity, no impending doom. There was no adrenaline to pull her across the finish line. No pressure to force her into strategic thinking.

_That _was why this was hard.

Romeli was good at the quick and unpredictable. She was a snappy individual, more comfortable in situations where dying was a familiarity, and fighting to stay alive was natural. There was no time to stop and smell the flowers. There was barely even time to recuperate from one risky mission to the next.

Having time on her side now was unfamiliar. She felt empty now. Like someone had sucked out her inner fervor, leaving only the peel. This was a hollow adventure. A pursuit of aimless wandering and a small purpose. And it really was a small purpose. Before, her identity meant more to her than anything.

Now everything just seemed so insignificant. What would happen at the end of this all? A quick hello to mom and dad, a few questions answered—various formalities. Nothing special, really. The question of her identity was merely a small, stupid stepping stone.

Romeli lifted her head from her knees for a moment, eyes scanning the expanse of land rolling before her. It stretched on for eternity, no more full of life and vigor than she now felt. All of it made her feel very, very small.

Round circle, Romeli found herself coming once again to the conclusion that yes, this was stupid.

Really, such a statement would be a depressing one, but Romeli felt other reactions take hold. A small twitch tickled the corner of her lips, and before she could hold it in much longer, a great wave of laughter shook through her.

The silent trembles of Romeli's shoulders had James convinced there was an onslaught of tears in his hold. He tightened his grip around her, hoping that somehow a tight squeeze would juice out all her cries. A humorous snort alerted him to the fact that this was not crying, but rather its opposite.

Shocked, he peeled away the curtain of green hair between them and tucked it behind her ear. Eyes rooted on the ground, Romeli attempted to keep her giggles behind pursed lips with little success.

His brows furrowed. "Are you..._laughing? _Really?"

Tear tracks ran down her cheeks, giving no sign of tapering off any time soon. When she opened her mouth to speak, another fit swept through her, making her clutch her stomach to get a decent breath. A couple minutes passed before the breakdown calmed enough for her to contribute a reply.

"The grass...random milkshakes..._silly hooves!_" She slumped over her knees again, letting the laughter have its way with her.

He tapped her back lightly, giving it a comfortable yet confused rub. "Right. You've lost it. Time to pack." Hopping up from his place next to her, he started to clean up camp for another day's wandering.

Romeli sat there for a time, staring at the packing procedure before her with exhausted and dead eyes. A tinge of guilt burned at the back of her throat, urging her to apologize for her current state and get up and _do_ something. But damn. The laughing left her senseless, and it wasn't planning on leaving any time soon. In lieu of organization, she let the hysterics take over her.

Little by little, the camp had been folded and tucked away. All that remained now were their two bulky packs and the bed roll that Romeli remained rooted on. Romeli found this rather humorous, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

James was only slightly amused. The rest of his patience had been devoured by duty, and he felt knighthood habit slip in—wake up, eat, pack, and go. There was no time for hanky panky on a traveling road. Especially when your companion was Alanna.

He stretched out a hand, offering Romeli to grasp it and pull herself to her feet...and hopefully the surface. The humor of outstretched appendages set in however and Romeli was hulked over again, gasping for breath.

His hopes of leaving at a decent time fell with his offering hand. Out of ideas, he admired the hysteria below him, coming to the conclusion that a) she'd completely lost it, b) there is nothing funny about an extended appendage, and c) if this type of breakdown became a regular thing, life in the Divine Realm would be much more adventurous than an accidental glitter cloud.

"Get this, get this," gasped Romeli, her eyes burning when she looked up at him again. "How cool would it be...if...this bedroll turned into a magic floating flying bedroll?"

"Incredibly cool," he replied, burying a laugh with his words. "Now get up Aladdin, we have land to cover."

She snorted, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. "_Land to cover? _Like with a sheet? Are we going to tuck it in?"

With that small pool of questions, James was convinced that there would only be one brain operating on today's journey. The other had been swept in a metaphorical fantasy of prairie bedtimes and bedroll transportation. Having enough of Romeli's breakdown standup comedy, he turned to physical strength and yanked the bedroll from under her, letting her fall over onto the grass (which she proceeded to roll around in, enthused by its rough texture). The final object packed away, they were ready to set off again.

He looked ahead, uninspired by the flat land rolling endlessly in front of him. This was going to be a long day. A glance to the side exposed Romeli stroking her pack and naming it Rico, The Protective. With a snort he started walking.

Scratch that. This was going to be an _awesome _day.

OOO

"No, I'm almost _positive _that a goat and rabbit are the same animal."

"What? Romeli, that doesn't even make sense."

"I'm telling you. They're the same."

"No, they're not!"

Their post-lunch conversation was animal themed today. All logic thrown to the wind, Romeli was convinced that yes, rabbits and goats were the same species. James begged to differ, as he had a right to. Though in all honestly, he didn't know why he was even trying anymore. In the spans of five hours, Romeli had managed to cartwheel, skip, and frolick into all sorts of trouble. First there was the surprise ditch she fell into, then there was the apple thief fantasy, then the craving for blueberry scones (it took half an hour to convince her that no, grass was not an oven). After that, she tried to summon the glitter cloud, and when that didn't work she complained about how the sun should be the shape of a dolphin, not a circle. And now she had herself convinced that a goat and rabbit were identical.

James bit down on the inside of his cheek as she babbled on, explaining the anatomy of the goat/rabbit. If he could pinpoint the exact reason for Romeli's breakdown, he would. The spastic ball of energy emanating from her was rigid, anxious. She had been in hysterics for hours now, leaving him completely helpless. He didn't know what to do. Obviously she was incapable of a rational conversation devoid of tea cozies, animal classification, or baking. So he did the only thing he could do—he went along with it.

Besides, there was no harm in unreasonable conversation. It was practically his favorite type of communication after all. He was just happy they were finally _talking _again. The tauros skirmish seemed long gone now.

"...they even have the same jaw structure."

James blinked, stealing a glance at Romeli. Her hands were slightly trembling, and when her eyes met his, they were bright, crazed. When he turned his gaze back to the land before him, his heart fell. "I didn't know you could conclude the similarity of animals by jaw shape."

"Well! Shows how much you know!"

"Romeli, that doesn't make sense! How can an animal that is three times the size of another be exactly the same!"

"Hah! _Babies!" _

"Oh okay, so a rabbit is a baby goat. Glad to see you have life figured out then. What are you going to tell me next? That I can give birth to a panda?"

"That's absurd," she retorted, unimpressed.

"_You're _absurd!" he snapped back, though with little will power. The last of his syllables were swallowed up in a laugh. "Goats have hooves anyways!"

She stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. At her frozen position, James looked around, eyes alert. An instinctive hand gripped the hilt of his blade. "What? What is it?"

Shrugging off her pack, she set it on the ground and crouched next to it, rummaging through the contents. Pushing aside the clothes, supplies, and cloth, she finally found what she had been searching for buried at the bottom of her sack. James stood over her, watching the process unfold with confusion.

"Victory," she murmured, holding up a small piece of fruit no larger than a small coin. "Come here, cranberry." When she popped the berry into her mouth, her eyes fluttered closed, savoring the bitter sweet juice on her tongue. After only a moment the taste was gone and her senses landed on the ground again, eyes opening in sync with her surroundings.

"All of that. For a cranberry," James stated, deadpan.

"Have we an internal hatred for cranberries, James?" she questioned, shouldering her pack again. There was no hesitance in her step as she trudged through the fields in the same direction they were headed.

He snorted, incapable of mustering up a worthy comeback to her sassy words. After a moment, he started following her, feet padding on the rough grass as he trailed the soft indents her feet left on the soil. "No, it's just—."

"Excuses, _excuses!_" She interrupted, obviously unmoved by the beginnings of his explanation. "Excuses this, excuses that. Excuses for walking, excuses for talking. Well _excuse me _for suddenly wanting a cranberry, James. I just wanted to take a moment to devour a simple fruit. In a land as desolate as this we have to grasp at the simple things!"

"Romeli!" he returned, grasping her shoulder and whipping her around.

She glared at his large hand clasping her shoulder before meeting his eyes. "What," she snapped obviously not flattered by his hand signals.

The piercing green eyes bore into his hand, stinging him a little. He let go of her shoulder like he had just touched a hot coal. "I...well I was just going to say...that I kind of wanted one."

Her eyes, previously taking the color of an impenetrable swamp lightened up to a bubbling sea foam. "Then by all means!" she exclaimed, dropping her pack to the ground immediately. "We'll have a cranberry fiesta!"

OOO

A small observation: berries, whether big or small in size, always taste sweeter with a friend. Alone, they are tart, and there is nothing to chase the bitterness down. But with a friend, the sugars stand out because you're chewing with a smile, and you're laughing as the juices slide down your throat.

Sitting across from James with a small pile of cranberries between them, Romeli came to realize this. With a faint smile on her lips and the taste of cranberry on her tongue, she met his emerald eyes. "Sometimes, when then sun is just starting to set, a small feeling hits me."

James' eyes slid to the sun that was beginning to descend to the horizon. They had at least a couple hours before dark. Instead of concerning himself with another day passed, he perked up his ears, interested in what Romeli had to say next. She seemed to have mellowed out a little since her breakdown, but her sanity was still agitated. He could tell by the slight tremble in her fingers, the quiet twitch in her eye.

She leaned forward slightly, her expression growing brighter. "The feeling is weightless—freeing, really. And I remember that this is my life, and I can do whatever I want with it."

He popped another cranberry in his mouth. "It's exciting isn't it—all of the potential a single day has."

"Exciting...," she agreed, rolling around a small berry in the palm of her hand. "...and scary."

Embarrassment crept up her cheeks after admitting the emotion. Scary was not a part of her vocabulary. She couldn't afford to be scared. Intimidation was one thing—fear was another. Maybe she let the feeling slip through now and again, but not enough to be noteworthy, and certainly not enough to comprehend. She didn't have time to be scared.

Until now. _Now _she had all the time in the world.

"Maybe that's what scares me so much," she whispered, eyes soaking in the rich crimson skin of her fruity snack.

His brows furrowed. "Um...what?"

She glanced up at him through her bangs before sweeping them out of her face with an agitated hand. "We have so much time in our hands now, and to do what? Walk? Wander? Learn? Learn _what? _ And why? I mean, why even bother? We're nothing but rangers, with nowhere to go, no deadline, and no goal. We're not even chasing after a prize, we're chasing after an idea! Our goal is a quiet one, no more important than what we make it to be, and our journey follows right along with it. Our path is silent, its route constant—the setting may change from time to time, but it will always be the same. All we can do is trudge through its obstacles, lost."

A grin crept up his lips, playing with the light on his eyes. "You have nothing to work toward. That's why your scared," he murmured to her, the puzzle pieces clicking together in his head. "All your life you've been given steps. Your Guardians told you to prepare for one obstacle in order to achieve something that brought you closer to Naraya. And now that you have her...you're lost."

Romeli wished she could deny his theory. Really, she couldn't state it any more eloquently than he just had.

"No wonder you're going crazy," he chuckled. "You can't function unless your life is in some sort of traumatic hold."

When the idea came from the thoughts of someone other than herself, it sounded absolutely ridiculous. She refused to meet his gaze, a small blush finding its way up her cheeks again. "I find it easier to live when my mind is tranquilized with some steady purpose," she confessed, laughing nervously.

"Well then...I guess we figured out the mystery to your breakdown," he hummed, voice drawing nearer as he bent towards her.

Romeli's eyes shifted to the side, knowing that when she looked up her eyes would be caught in his warm ones. His hot breath on her cheek thawed her insides and clouded her brain, convincing her, albeit for only a second, that she was flying high. Purpose was insignificant and time need not be bothered with. For just that second, she was free.

Meeting his eyes brought her back to the ground again before she was caught up in a sea of velvet green. It was pathetic, the hold his eyes had on her—they played with the tempo of her heart, shaking her in a way that nothing else could.

"I...guess so..." Her breath caught in her throat like it always did when he bent down to kiss her. The skin on the nape of her neck tingled when he touched her there. His fingertips lightly pressed against her skull, deepening the kiss.

Romeli leaned forward, guiding his back to the ground. He propped himself up with an elbow as she hovered over him, knees planted on both sides of his hips. There lips parted for only a second—just long enough to catch a breath and mutter incoherencies about abandoning the cranberries for something a little sweeter.

OOO

"I have a really good idea," Romeli whispered, her lips brushing against his. They were lying next to each other on the rough ground, making the best of their coarse surroundings as they stared at each other.

James looked at her, his emerald eyes dark, yet softened. A hint of mischief played on his lips and he kissed the tip of her nose. "Oh? And what would that be?" he questioned her with the famous Queenscove brow raise.

She itched her nose before fearlessly climbing on top of him. With her legs rooted on both sides of his waist, he was left immobile—a position he wasn't necessarily opposed to until a feverish shine began to gloss over Romeli's eyes. His expression, previously glowing with trouble faded to a pale fear. A small crease formed between his brows.

"What is it..." he grunted as she rolled off him again and hopped to her feet.

"The best idea ever," she explained, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

James exhaled sharply out of his nose as he sat up. "Right, thanks. That makes_ perfect _sense!" He threw his arms in the air for emphasis.

Uninterested in his snappy response, Romeli closed her eyes and brought her index finger to her lips, silencing him. "Just wait," she instructed, settling into a comfortable standing position.

The lines of her form began to blur, making James' head spin until eventually he had no choice but to close them. A soft whinny blown into his face alerted him that yes, he could open his eyes now. When he did, he found himself mere inches away from the soft muzzle of a black mare.

"...what? Romeli, _why?_" he questioned her, cluelessly laughing. He walked past her stare and began picking up the clothes she had shed in the process of her transformation. "Every time you do that I have to go around cleaning up after do you! Do you think that's _fun _for me? Do you think I _like _picking up clothes from the ground?" When he had scooped them all into his hands, he shoved them into her pack, tying it closed with rushed fingers. "Do you?"

Romeli snickered, stamping her foot impatiently.

"What." His face was unamused as he met her dark eyes again.

It wasn't fair that she confuse him any longer, and so Romeli flashed him the Jameson-Of-Queenscove-Use-Your-Inheritably-Large-Brain-And-Think-For-Once-In-Your-Life look. Its immense impact even surpassed the human to animal boundary and James was left dumbfounded.

His mouth formed into a small 'O'. "Wait...you mean...". He froze, arms out in front of him. A spark of excitement lit up his eyes. "Oh! So _that's _what you mean!"

_Yup, _she thought to herself purring out a small wicker of confirmation. _I just hope you can ride bareback. _

James didn't need any more assurance than Romeli's quiet neigh. He shouldered their packs and leapt onto her back, giving her the 'okay' with a soft rub of the neck. "Let's ride."

There was no need for a push to get going. Romeli wanted an out from the desolate landscape as soon as possible. The horizon played with her eyes, tricking her sense of direction and fooling her judgment's consciousness of it. Holding James' weight with ease, she set off at a gallop, cherishing the pounding hooves racing below her.

A lopsided smile grew on James' lips. The wind flew through his hair, pulling it in all sorts of crooked directions. But he could hardly care less at this moment. For the first time since they arrived in the Divine Realm he felt like nothing mattered anymore—nothing except for right here, right now. Perhaps it was the adrenaline galloping beneath him.

Or maybe it was because they were finally free.

OOO

"Yes..._yes...YES!!!" _Romeli shrieked leaping out of her horse form and back into her clothes. James was thrown off her back mid-transformation and skidded across the ground a few feet before quickly shielding his eyes from her bare skin.

"James, what are you doing? _Open your eyes! _Do you see what this is?" she exclaimed, waving her hands out in front of her, as if the motion would help James spot the gigantic forest tree line stretched before them. The forest stood in front of them like a wall, it's rich lining humorously incomparable to the bare valleys they had just crossed.

He brushed off his breeches from the yellowed grass that had covered him while he had become a horse projectile. "You're only in your underwear," he observed before turning to the trees in front of them. "And yeah. The trees were noticeable miles ago."

She pulled a tunic over her head, soon followed by a pair of breeches and boots. "Yeah but...look at them! They're beautiful! And green! And old! And divine!" She fell to her knees, grasping at the infertile grass at her knees and pulling it into her fists. "It's...amazing..." The crazy shine appeared in her eyes again.

"They just look like trees to me," he confessed, settling down next to her.

Romeli winced as an annoyed shriek rang through her head. She turned towards him, flashing him an expression that was both pained and hysteric. "I feel like it's my duty as plant ambassador to tell you that the trees are highly insulted by your comment...which means that I should take care of firewood tonight."

James snorted. "I have no problem with handing over my lumber obligations."

"You're no fun," she complained, getting to her feet and shouldering her pack.

Blasphemy. James' brows rose as they walked towards the frees in front of them. "That's absolutely ridiculous. I have fun all the time. Besides, it's not my fault that my capacity for entertainment is suppressed by reason."

"Ha, not your fault at all," she repeated with a roll of her eyes. The tree line grew closer with each step, and with it the speed of her pulse increased. The change in atmosphere beckoned to her like a breath of fresh air after sinking in water—resurfaced.

James had thrown any potential for observations out the window. He tightened his pack and slipped her a mischievous grin. "Last one to the tree line has to cook dinner!"

She happened to blink right when he said this, and when she had opened her eyes again he was already gone. Cursing under her breath, she raced after him yelling empty threats that she could only hope would slow his long legs.

Her brow furrowed when he suddenly halted right at the seam between forest and valley. His back was rigid, frozen, and she knew that something wasn't right. Uneasily, she slowed to a jog, closing the final distance between her and the trees.

She slid to a halt, eyes wide.

"...Old White?" she muttered, shocked. "What...what are you doing here?" James' puzzled expression mirrored her own as they stared down at the wolf standing across from them. Part of his massive body was covered by the shadows of the forest, but his head was exposed by the setting sun, and anyone could tell that he was not pleased.

_You cheated, _he told them, his voice growling like tumbling rocks.

* * *

Ba ha ha. God this chapter was hard to write. I think I died writing this. It took me a whole month!

(collapse)

talk about writer's block. Your reviews will help me get out of this slump, so I really appreciate them. Thank you readers!

Replies:

A Matter of Love and Fantasy: HELLOOOO!!!! sorry about that long update (once again) but I sure hope you liked this chaptah. Thanks for reading m'dear!

OddAly: why hello there dear Aly!! ya...crazy band schedule. It's ridiculous, but winter break has been a life saver. I hope that the story keeps shooting up from here. The adventure will really pick up full speed in a few chapters. But it's getting there. One chapter at a time, that's what I always say. I'll get to the end eventually ahah. Oh you and your puppy dog eyes. They will never work on me!

Grace: ah! Why thanks Grace!!! I did enjoy writing that chapter. Hopefully you like this one as well, hmm? Man, I really don't even know how the milkshake thing started. Well, it started in Scanra, but I don't know how I thought of it. Strange Strange Strange. Yay fluff. Things will really start to heat up in due time. I have quite a plan up my sleeves, mwa ha ha. Thanks for unblocking me. I'm pretty good at writing about physical obstacles, but this story is definitely more psychological—it's a lot harder to think through and put to paper. Ugh. Well here goes the next chapter...thanks for reading!

Pettle: HAHAHA!!! Thanks!! 3 no worries, I get excited to while reading reviews. Sometimes I do laps in my room to calm myself down. Gah! I must write more now!! haha. Thanks so much for the review, it was a quite a morale booster!

KEEP MOOSIN' EVERYONE!!!

Moose


	7. Peace and Soup

Hmmm...well here is our next foresty chapter.

I have to warn you. It's in a forest.

**Song for this chapter:** Possibility → Lykke Li

* * *

Chapter 7: Peace and Soup

_

* * *

In the last chapter..._

_She slid to a halt, eyes wide._

"_...Old White?" she muttered, shocked. "What...what are you doing here?" James' puzzled expression mirrored her own as they stared down at the wolf standing across from them. Part of his massive body was covered by the shadows of the forest, but his head was exposed by the setting sun, and anyone could tell that he was not pleased._

You cheated_, he told them, his voice growling like tumbling rocks._

* * *

Romeli's brows furrowed together. "Cheated...what are you talking about?"

Old White, already looking dissatisfied, glared at the two of them with impatience, like he was conversing with imbeciles rather than friends. _Hurry up into the forest, _he beckoned shortly. _I'll explain there. _

The two Divine Realm Pioneers exchanged uneasy glances, knowing that the change of scenery brought with it a bittersweet sensation. Chastisement was imminent. They could feel it in the thickened atmosphere looming before them. Despite this, they stepped into the shadows of the forest, welcoming its soft ground and calming branches.

They walked for a time, silences by the muffled ruffle of leaves and the soft padding of twigs and mulch below them. For a bit, everything seemed at peace. Even the hysteria in Romeli seemed long gone, like the breakdown happened days ago, not just that morning. The change in scenery before them was welcoming compared to the desolate land they had just come from.

At last Old White spoke again, his voice somewhat calmed now. The serenity of the forest around them also seemed to have played with his own spirits. _I apologize for being snappy, _he started, weaving them through the tightly knit trees. _One of my packs in Gala was attacked by a team of humans and killed. And I know, I know, circle of life. But I work very hard to keep my sons and daughters alive in a place where they are commonly hunted. _His head ducked down sadly, but he hid it by sniffing at the ground carefully. _ Sometimes I feel like it's wolves against the world, and we're in a losing battle. And me! The one responsible for it all—ridiculous. _

He grumbled now, uncomfortable, a bitterness sinking his tail between his legs. _Anyways, back to why I'm really here...obviously we need to go over a few rules. _

James, with a little hesitance, cleared his throat. "I thought Shill insisted that the Divine Realm had no rules?"

_Hmm. Yes well...he lied. _

"What?" Romeli was shocked. "Why would he do that?"

Old White turned around and faced them, halting them where they stood. The two immediately froze, staring down at the Guardian with intent eyes. _The hill people have always had liberating viewpoints on life. As they should I suppose, they hardly have any responsibilities. After all, they have no one to look after in the Mortal Realm. _He growled the last bit unhappily, obviously remembering his Galan children. _Either way, as your Guardian, I must explain a few more things to you. _

The great wolf lifted his head to the sky, squinting past the web of trees high above them. _But first, we should set up camp for the night. It's starting to get late. _

James smirked at this. "And Romeli will be taking care of firewood _and _dinner this evening."

"_What?!" _she yelped, facing him with wide eyes like orbs. "I thought you were joking."

"On the contrary, I take my spontaneous forest races quite seriously," James corrected, the right corner of his lip turning up into a wicked grin.

Romeli sighed in frustration, giving in to the smile that always made her want to kiss and slap him at the same time. The emotion tore with her for a second before she succumbed to it, defeated by an affection greater than her fury. "Fine."

_I'll assist you with the firewood, _Old White insisted continuing in the same direction they were headed. _It's only fair since I will be spending the night with you this evening. _

Romeli stumbled over a conveniently exposed root in a hurry to voice her surprise. "You're...you're staying with us...for the night?"

The bubbling excitement in Romeli's voice was starting to build, and James knew what was coming instantly. With a snort, he rolled his eyes and covered his ears.

Old White sounded confused when he spoke again. _Yes...? Is—is there a problem with this?_

"_Problem!?" _Romeli blurted, practically leaping through the brush around them. "There's never a problem with a _SLEEPOVER!!!" _ With a flurry of excitement, she exploded, throwing her arms into the air. There was no better way to demonstrate her happiness than yelling and stumbling over tree debris.

Initial explosion over with, James let go of his ears, silently laughing. After countless freak outs between Romeli and Ryoku over some makeover, shopping spree, or sleepover, he had become accustomed to the rare but powerful squeals that Romeli was capable of. For a moment, James was reminded of those evenings with sadness, remembering his sister and warm Corus bedroom. He pushed back the memory.

Corus was only a memory now—a far away place that may or may not be visited again. He would just have to come to terms with that.

Romeli and James followed Old White further into the forest, where the wolf promised a great camping spot was hidden. They meandered a few more minutes, wandering deeper while the sun set slowly behind them. Eventually, the wolf stopped at the edge of a small clearing. It was a humble space, with just enough room for a few bedrolls and a fire. The ground was softened with fallen leaves and moist dirt.

_Right, well, here we are, _he told them walking into the open. _I'll start collecting the wood. _He veered left into the trees again.

James and Romeli sighed, dropping their heavy packs to the ground for another night. Though it went unsaid, both of them were beyond relief that the atmosphere had changed from grassland to something a bit more secluded and sheltered. The fields were beginning to toy with both of their minds.

"Have fun with dinner," he teased, opening his pack and sliding out his bedroll.

Romeli scoffed. "We both know you're the better cook, James. You'll be regretting your speedy legs, I promise you."

James took her statement as a challenge, a minor dare that was easily disregarded. Laughing, he whipped out his bedroll and flattened it out with the palms of his hands.

OOO

Usually people insist that a mediocre cook could never go wrong with soup. Soup was easy. Especially if it was already pre-made at the convenience of a hungry traveler. Just heat, stir, and serve. There was little room for error in the process.

However, all of the above theories were immediately disproved the very second Romeli picked up a stirring spoon. As one could predict, chaos had ensued, convincing all onlookers that Romeli had more hope spontaneously and unpredictably _conjuring _food than she ever would _making_ it.

James hesitantly sniffed at his spoonful of mushy noodles and broth before letting go of a shudder. Carefully, as to not upset the moody broth sloshing in his spoon, he took a quiet slurp. Inwardly, he was screaming, but he gave Romeli an encouraging 'mmm' for manner's sake. Secretly, he swore that the rest of the meals would be cooked by one chef only.

Old White was snickering next to the two pioneers, eyes sparkling with the humor of the moonlight. James shot him a glare and shuddered down another spoonful of the questionable entree. Romeli sat by the fire, absentmindedly swallowing a few gulps at a time, her mind on other ideas than the quality of her cooking.

With the intention of breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence, Old White pawed at his nose, speaking to them gently. _ Well...I suppose now that we're all settled down for the night, I can go over a couple of rules, and by a couple of rules, I mean one big important rule. _

Both James and Romeli looked up from their bowls, ears perked for Old White's informative lecture.

_Any means of transportation other than walking on human legs is not permitted, _he blatantly told them, taking his time in looking them both in the eye before continuing on. _Otherwise you'll eventually decide to just fly around diddly daddly with no regard for your surroundings until eventually you will have visited every corner of the Divine Realm with empty hands. And then you'd have to start all over again. _

Romeli's heart fell at the thought. Starting over? That would be completely absurd. Impossible, even.

"So no more impulse horse galloping then, I assume," James responded, looking slightly downcast. The feeling of freedom while they sprinted across the grassland was one he would not soon forget, and would certainly love to repeat.

_Impulse horse gallop as you please_, waved off Old White nonchalantly. _Just as long as it's void of any intention to travel somewhere. _

"Darn," muttered Romeli, mostly to herself as she poured the remnants of her soup into the fire. The flames growled at her, displeased that they were now burning over-soaked broth noodles rather than the usual timber. Romeli disregarded the flames, and instead met her two traveling companions. "I was looking forward to showing off my long traveling giraffe legs."

_A shame, _Old White replied, his voice sympathetic in her mind. _I suppose you'll have to save your creative means of meandering for after this adventure is through. _

"I plan to," she assured, tugging at a stray thread on her tunic. Turning towards James, she flashed him a small wink, making him snort quietly, amusement dancing into his emerald eyes.

The more time passed as the three of them talked and prepared for another night's sleep, the more Romeli realized how close her and James had become. Granted, they had always been drawn to each other, and therefore always been pretty chummy. But now it was different. In Corus, they were surrounded by friends and family, immersed in other social entities besides themselves. In Corus, they had more than aimless wandering and opportunity for intimate conversation—they actually had things to do.

Now, in a realm where familiarities were scarce, James was all she had. He was her one reminder of the past and the future while they both tried their hand at embracing the present. Even her Guardians could not be compared to the comfortable and relaxed feeling she had when she was around James. Thinking about it now, living even a day without James seemed nearly unbearable. Not after all they had been through.

After trying to get Romeli's attention for the past couple of minutes, James eventually gave up. He shrugged in Old White's direction. "Right well, Romeli's out. Time for bed." Crawling out of his bedroll, he doused the fire in the remnants of soup-mush, letting the smoke rise through the web of trees and into the twilight.

Old White licked his chops sleepily before walking over to Romeli and curling up next to her sleeping form. He touched his wet nose to her shoulder affectionately before letting go to his own sleep.

The moon shone high above them, illuminating the quiet forest and muffling its nightly noises. The trees' two visitors and Guardian curled up in the brush, enjoying each fresh breath of pine before falling into slumber.

Despite the slight scent of smoked soup that had drowned the campfire, they were at peace.

OOO

_Funny things, trees, _started Old White pawing across the damp foliage of the forest ground. _Each one is different, despite what may be seen as identical species. They all have different personalities, with different ideas, and different beliefs. _

Romeli, taking a shockingly bright mood since their wake up a few hours ago, silently acquiesced to Old White's tour. The wolf wandered knowingly through the trees, babbling away like he was venturing through the aisles of a candy store and not a random Divine Realm woodland.

Besides, if anyone were to come to the conclusion that trees held phenomenal personalities in this roaming party of three, it would be her. A gentle brush of her fingertips upon a nearby trunk reminded her of this vividly. A silent spark brushed up her arm, filling her with the gentle thoughts and memories of a Mockernut Hickory tree.

Huh. Loves the smell of salted pork. That's new.

With his enthusiasm for learning and love of fine nature, James was hooked on every one of Old White's explanations. He followed the Guardian silently, throwing in the occasional murmur of fascination to keep the info coming.

Romeli observed the scene before her with a hint of envy that only slightly dampened her spirits. James was studious by nature, a trait he must have acquired genetically considering the position of his father. The smell of books had a calling for her as well, but all the information Numair had forced upon her at a younger age had burned her out at a later one. Now the strong aroma of reckless adventure was much more appealing than any textbook.

Old White's informative tour cut into her thoughts, dragging her back to reality and its accompanying woodsy setting.

_This forest is unlike any other in existence, _he told them, sniffing the dried leaves at their feet. His nose lead them through the thick grove. The strong senses of his snout were their only guide of direction in their pathless journey. It was obvious from the soft ground that this forest was not touched often. _There is a remarkably diverse spectrum of different tree species, all in one area. Usually one would not come across an Eastern Red Cedar and Goldenrain within the same foliage. But these trees are Gods, and therefore can not die, unlike your mortal friends back home. Because of their stubborn nature and love for individualism, they grow where they please. _

James rested a hand on the bark of a nearby tree, letting the rough texture tickle his fingertips. "How old are these trees? They seem young and fresh, and yet they must be pretty old if you say they can not die."

A light chuckle filled their ears and trickled down their spines like the playful current of a river. Old White shook on humorously, laughing at some sort of inside joke. _These trees are nearly as old as Time itself, though technically speaking age holds little meaning here. Gods can change their appearance as they please—taking on the looks of just a tiny sapling or an ancient ancestor. I've concluded over my years that age is a mental idea that holds no power over appearance. _He turned towards his two followers now, his expression now somber. _Once such a mindset is achieved, one's abilities both physical and mental are unfathomable. _

Romeli's eyes met her Guardian's for a brief second before the wolf turned back around to continue their journey. She let out a shaky breath, brows furrowed. That look in Old White's eyes was a memorable one—she had seen it many times before. He was trying to tell her something important, trying to teach her something vital.

Brushing the bangs out of her eyes with agitated fingers, she followed James and Old White as they continued to weave through the evergreens. If only she could understand what he was talking about. Age was a questionable concept, and hardly an important one. It was merely a number, and yet her Guardian spoke of it as an entirely different entity. For a moment she questioned her education, wondering if perhaps she had gotten the definition wrong as a child. But no, that was ridiculous. _Old White_ was ridiculous—always teasing her with clues and ambiguous tales.

And what did he even mean _unfathomable_? What a cryptic word! So fittingly used for such a cryptic character, I suppose, she grumbled.

_Ah yes. And here we have a poison ivy plant! _Old White's tone had morphed from murky to jovial in record time as he pawed the ground near a snarling pile of leaves tucked beneath the shade of an oak. _Oddly enough, people tend to confuse blackberry and raspberry leaves with those of the poison ivy. It's a foolish mistake, really. Raspberry and blackberry plants tend to have prickled stems, while the ivy's is smooth. _

James stooped down to the level of the specimen, admiring it at a closer angle. "It's a beautiful plant," he mused before standing straight again. "And I reckon that the God of Poison Ivy is a particularly merciless one."

Romeli snorted, narrowing her eyes at the ivy and then meeting James'. "It's laughing at you," she told him at his puzzled expression.

"Well at least it has a sense of humor." At this point in time he'd grown rather used to Romeli translating plants for him.

"I'm sure the two of you would become the best of friends if it weren't for the language barrier," she insisted, a small grin shining through the upturned corners of her lips.

"I appreciate you comparing my social disposition to that of a plants," he bit back, cheeks coloring with a splash of his wit.

"I'll do the forest a favor and openly take offense to that."

"You seem rather fond of this forest," James observed. "And if I'm to have a leafy lover, then where is yours?"

She quickly scanned the surroundings, darting from tree to tree as her head swam with their woodsy language. At last her gaze settled on a swooping tree in the distance. Eyes lightened with her latest discovery, she pointed at it, making their heads turn. "That willow over there."

"Huh." James seemed unmoved. "Let's get closer. I want to take a good look at my competition."

Abandoning James' newest poison ivy acquaintance, they worked their way further through the forest until eventually only small bushes and shed leaves came between the traveling party and Romeli's ancient willow affair.

"Be jealous, Jameson," she teased, walking up to the tree before them. "You only wish you had slender branches and elongated leaves like these..." Her words tapered off, eyes fixated on her supposed suitor.

This tree was strikingly familiar.

The feeling of déjà vu crept down her spine, like a small feather was being brushed down her back, leaving small shivers in its wake. Her head whipped around and she faced Old White with smoldering eyes and a demanding posture. "Is this what I think it is?"

The sun slipped through the trees in just a way that it left the wolf's eyes twinkling. _It sure is. _

She turned back to the willow, walking around its borders. Her palm brushed against the weeping tresses, letting them slip out of her grasp as she walked past. "...very interesting."

"What's so interesting?" James asked, observing Romeli's sudden infatuation with perplexity. When she continued to study the willow with his question unanswered, he turned to the Guardian. His voice was a low murmur as he watched the Romeli and Tree Exchange. "What is she doing?"

_We used to confront her in her dreams here, _Old White told him carefully. _Especially at the beginning of the Scanran and Tortallan war through her servitude. Further that way is where we used to train her to prepare for Scanra's second coming. _

James' eyes went from Old White's back to the scene before him. "So this is the famous Romeli training arena."

"Sure is," Romeli commented, returning to the party after her willow tree walk-around. Her eyes were light, sobered by the faint chill of memory. "It's strange to think that this place is actually real. I mean, I _know _it's real. But being here and coming across this place from a different angle really changes my perspective."

_It's an interesting feeling when you realize that not everything is as it seems, _Old White chimed in, turning to leave. _Come this way. There's something I've always wanted to show you. _

They followed the wolf, obediently trailing his nose for what felt like a couple hours. By now, noon had settled upon them, with grumbling stomachs in its wake. Romeli's spirits were beginning to dissipate in contrast to her growing hunger. Her feet trudged along next to James', each step sending aches up her shins. An exchanged glance with James' weathered expression told her he was feeling the strain of their journeying as well.

At last Old White halted before a thick bunch of ferns, his tail wagging. _This will be a great place to set up camp for a couple days. _

James looked around, taking in the cramped space they now occupied. There was hardly room for them to move around, let alone concoct a fire and campsite. _Here? Really? _

_No, _Old White sighed, his tone spiced with agitation. Obviously he had just swallowed a snappy retort. _This was, through the ferns. _He slipped between the foliage, wagging tail beckoning them to follow.

Romeli crossed the vegetation with small expectations. Though the Divine Realm was an aesthetically pleasing destination, nothing had made her heart melt. Her eyes dulled while wandering through the grasslands, numbed by its barren setting. But despite her exhausted gaze and unaffected judgments, She had never come across an oasis so beautiful.

The Guardian seemed pleased with himself, tongue lolling out of his mouth in a quiet pant. James and Romeli expressed their pleasure in a different way, dropping their packs to the soft ground and admiring the smooth waterfall feeding the gentle pond before them. Spray from the showering water tickled their faces, waking their senses and charging life into their weary gazes.

_We're staying here for a couple of days? _With shame, she noticed her throat begin to close up. A quick swallow washed away the threat of tears. Hopefully the slight tremor in her voice went unnoticed. She could not admit to being weakened by grasslands and a brief tauros skirmish. Embarrassing.

_I thought you two would need the rejuvenation. _

James glanced at Romeli's trembling chin before meeting the wolf's stare. "Never mind her," he said. "She's been moody ever since the grasslands."

_As expected. _Old White's voice was smooth, unsurprised. _The grassland is a raw place. Its void atmosphere brings out the unexpected in people. _

"No, I'm good," she assured them, attempting to dry out her eyes by fanning her hand. "I just really..._really..._like cliché waterfall settings."

James laughed, brushing her bangs behind her ear with a gentle finger. "Well, everyone has a weakness for falling water."

Entertained by their reactions, Old White circled them before settling down in front of the pond. _Stay here for a couple of days, _he told them, pawing the ground. _I've abandoned my children in Gala long enough, and can't place their needs aside any longer. _

The wreck of emotion straining Romeli's sanity made her falling heart crash into her abdomen. The wolf's abandonment made her feel uneasy. Falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around Old White's neck, burrowing her face into his thick mane. "Thank you for the tour," she mumbled into his coat. "And say hello to my brothers and sisters in Gala."

_Certainly, _he replied, resting his snout on her shoulder. _And remember all that I've told you. Best of luck with your journeys. _

The weight crippled from underneath her. Without warning, she was blinded by a thick cloud of silver smoke. Despite her foggy view, she knew the Guardian was gone, off to attend more pressing matters than her own.

On her feet again, she brushed the ground's residue from her breeches. The smooth streaming of the waterfall soothed her uprise of emotion. When she met James' eyes again, they were collected, bright.

"Want to go for a swim?"

James blinked, a grin teasing the corner of his lip. "Glad to see you're back in business," he drawled. In a swift movement, he pulled his tunic over his shoulders, soon followed by his black undershirt.

Her eyes fell to his chest, before she caught her desire and reigned her gaze back to his face. She snorted, slipping off her boots. "Glad to see your observant witticisms did not abandon you in our travels."

With a scoff, he too kicked off his shoes. "We Queenscoves pride ourselves in our snarky comebacks and intellectual humor."

"Geek."

"Green haired...mage."

She too slipped off her tunic, tossing it next to the rest of their discarded clothing. "Witty." The comment was dripping with a sarcasm that rivaled James' own. He knew he had just met his match—both in love and in trickery.

While trading one to three worded comebacks, they also unknowingly exchanged clothing removal. By the time they had run out of snappy retorts, they had also run out of clothes...well almost. Romeli kept her eyes locked on her opponent's, ignoring the chiseled chest breathing in and out below them. Suddenly the gentle wind on her exposed abdomen made her feel very conscious of the predicament. Well at least she still had her underwear...

"So...," he started, blinking a couple times. His smooth tenor voice made her heart ache. The colors of his words fogged her head, making it hard to breathe. "Swimming?"

A shaky exhale. "chest. I mean—_yes!_ ...Yea." Oh Gods...

In a second of impressive improvisation, she shielded her blush with a wall of emerald hair and made her way into the water. With a sharp inhale she gave in to the pond's temperature, letting it soothe her aching muscles and weary stamina. James followed suit, swimming over to her in an even glide.

Romeli felt the cool water tickle her neck, clearing her mind. She scrubbed at her arm, and in doing so, she felt like a film of dirt and strain washed away. Slowly, the pond cleansed her, both in body and in mind. As they slowly swam around the oasis, gliding from one point to the next, Romeli knew the same healing process was happening to James as well.

Convinced that Old White had slipped some sort of healing tonic into the pond, Romeli swam to the waterfall and dunked her head under it. The cool water cascaded down her head like rain, slowly rinsing her hair of the dirt and grime that had infested her hygiene over the past...

how long had they been here? A week? Two weeks?

Romeli shrugged, giving in to the calm surrounding her.

James swam over, obviously jealous of her creative showering invention. He too, joined her under the falls, scrubbing his hair of its own debris. His usually disheveled hair flopped into his eyes, but he quickly shook it out, flinging droplets of water in every direction.

Eyes narrowing under the onslaught of flying water, Romeli gave in to his canine manner. They were wet anyways. His innovative means of air drying wasn't going to change anything.

"James?" she started, wading away from the waterfall with a couple gentle strokes.

"Yeah?"

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, arranging the correct words in her head. "What did you mean before when you said I was 'back in business'?"

He exhaled heavily, looking thoughtful for a moment. Away from the waterfall, they gave in to the quiet ripples of water, echoing their every movement. "I didn't mean anything by it."

But he looked down as he said this, notifying Romeli to his lie. Silence engulfed them for a while as their realizations came to a single conclusion:

Wandering the Divine Realm had already morphed them in a way they never anticipated. Already, the tides of transformation were pulling them under. They had changed. Perhaps in miniscule, unimportant ways. But they had changed all the same.

"Well," she started, brightening up. "This spontaneous, yet surprisingly serene forest oasis swim has been grand. But we should set up camp before the sun sets."

James nodded. Already, the sun was descending, casting the web of trees above them on fire. Underneath the shade of the forest, darkness arrived quickly. It was difficult to discern the tree line before them. They climbed out of the water and quickly slipped their clothes on. Romeli worked on setting up a fire while James unrolled the bedrolls and prepared dinner.

By the warmth of the flame, their clothes began to dry. As the moisture from the pond faded away, so did their insecurities. The setting of the Divine Realm was changing them. But they both knew that deep down, Romeli's daring need for adventure and James' sly witticisms remained rooted.

No ordeal could change that.

OOO

"Perhaps the oasis left me with high expectations," started James, his voice soft. "But I thought that maybe the forest would lead us somewhere...exciting."

Romeli nodded, dumbfounded by the open space before her. She never imagined that an environment so fertile and full of memory could be placed by a destination so barren.

Stretched before them lay the open mouth of a desert more dry and sand-laden than any they'd previously come across. The Great Southern Desert held no comparison to the heat that bore down on them. Even standing in the shadow of the forest, sweat formed on their brow.

After spending a week wandering through the rejuvenating woodland, the bright sun descending on their foreground brought squints to their eyes. A burning temptation to turn back sloshed in Romeli's abdomen. Uneasily, she sighed, shoulder her pack with a firmer grip.

"I think we'll find plenty of excitement in this sand," she replied, walking into the sunlight. The sand collapsed under her boots, making it difficult to walk. Nonetheless, she trudged on, stubbornly challenging their new environment.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" he asked, keeping up with his long strides.

"I wish I knew."

* * *

Hmm. Haha. Well, I've had great plans for the next chapter for months now. Apologies for the slow updates. I've been distracted with life, which, though I may not always admit this, is a good thing. :)

Replies:

Grace: Oh you and your nagging. Apologies for that rather slow update. I've actually had it written for a while...but then I was working on a secondary project (I'm re-writing The Guardian), and got distracted. . whoops. Haha. I'm glad you can relate to the whole getting bored and frustrated thing. I was kind of going out on a whim there assuming that everyone feels like Romeli does. :) I guess it's at least a little relatable. AHH. Okay, the James POV is SUCH a good idea! I'm definitely going to do it. And I have the perfect spot.

Meathead-the-1st: they are dirty little cheaters, they are. Bah. Nah, I wish they were punished. It probably would have made this chapter a little more interesting. Alas, this next chapters should take all the boredom away, I'm sure.

A Matter of Love and Fantasy: Glad you liked it! Thank you so much for the read!!

OddAly: haha. Romlei and her missing sanity will soon turn into Romeli and James' missing sanity in the middle of a desert. It's going to be FANTASTIC. Oh man, beter than the glitter cloud? Bah. Nothing can be better than the glitter cloud.


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